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CHAMPION LARNED'S FOREHAND STROKE. 



HOW TO PLAY 

LAWN TENNIS 



BY J. PARMLY PARET 





Containing Practical Instruction from an 








Expert on Making Lawn Tennis 






Strokes. Brief Description 






and History of the 






Game 






(> b and other useful information 






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* ..;• .-;•••...•■•.: 


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1902 




Published by 




American Sports Publishing Company 




I 6 and i 8 Park IM a c e ^ N e w York 





TH^XlBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

T^yo Copies REC&veo 

iUl, 21 1902 

CoPVmOHT ENTBY 

^t-OCXo. No 
COPY 9. 






COPYKIGHT, lOlfi 

AMERICAN Sports Publishing CoMPAjn 
:&.:8 Park Place, New York 



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CONTENTS 



Gene ral Description of Lawn Tennis . 
A Brief History of the Game . 
A First Lesson for Beginners 
How to Make tiie Most Important Strol<es 
L — The Service .... 
IL — The Ground Stroke 

IIL— The Volley and Half-Volley . 

IV.— The Lob ... . 

Styles and Skill of the Experts 
The American Twist Service 
How to Build and Keep a Court . 
How to Select Implements for the Game 



24 

28 

36 
42 

46 

58 



How to Play L a IV n Tennis 



General Description of Lawn Tennis. 

Lawn tennis is played by two, three or four people (though 
very seldom by three) on a smooth stretch of ground called a 
court. The playing surface of this court is 27 feet (for singles^, 
or 36 feet (for doubles) in width and 78 feet in lenglh. and it is 
laid out on a level su/face of grass or turf, or occasion- 
ally on a board floor under a covered roof in winter. The court 
is marked out with white lints on the ground indicating the 
boundaries, and the spnce is divided in two by a net three feet in 
height stretched across the centre from side to side. 

Each player is armed with a racket, which is a wooden frame 
about a foot long and eight inches wide, the oval open space 
being covered with a fine network of catgut strings, and the 
frame supplied with a handle about 15 inches long. With this 
racket the players strike a ball 2V< inches in diameter, of rubber 
filled with compressed air and covered with felt. 

This ball is knocked from one side of the net to the other 
back and forth until one side misses it — that is, fails to hit it 
at all, or knocks it into the net, or out of the court. Either side 
scores a point when the opponent fails to return the ball into 
his court. The object of the game,, therefore, is to knock the 
ball into the opponent's court so that he cannot return it. 

The first player to hit the ball is called the server (he is 
chosen by lot) and he throws the ball up into the air and 
knocks it over the net and into the court on the opposite side. 
After this service is delivered, each side must strike the ball in 
turn, hitting it either before it touches tlie ground (a volley) 
or after it has bounded only once. It is against the rule to 



How to Play L a iv n Tenuis 7 

volley in returning the service, but after this second stroke of 
each point, it is optional with the players whether they volley 
or return the ball on the first bounce. 

The method of scoring is simple. The' first point won for 
either side counts 15, and if each side should win one of the 
two first points, the score becomes 15— all, "aU" meaning "even" 
in every case. The server's score is always called first and the 
first point therefore makes the score 15— love, or love— 15 (ac- 
cording to whether the server or his opponent wins the first 
point). "Love" means nothing in tennis scoring. The second 
point for either side is 30 and the third 40. If the server wins 
the first two strokes, the score is 30— love ; if won by the oppon- 
ent, it is love— 30; if each has won a point, the third count then 
makes the score 30—15. or 15—30, according to whether the 
server or his opponent is ahead. Thirty-all follows when each 
side has won two points; 40—30 or 30—40 when one side has 
two and the other side three. 

Either side wins a game when it has scored four points, un- 
less each side wins three points, which would make the score 
40— all, but which is called "deuce" instead. Here lies the only 
intricacy in the method of scoring. When both sides are tied 
at 40, or three points each, the score is deuce, and one side must 
win two more strokes than the other from this point in order to 
win the game— in other words, if the score once gets even at 40, 
neither side can win by a single point. From deuce, the score 
becomes "vantage-in" or "vantage-out," according to whether the 
server or his opponent is ahead (the server is always "in" and 
the opponent "out"). With vantage in his favor, either side 
can win the game by capturing the next point, but if it goes to 
the other side, the score returns to deuce again, and so on in- 
definitely until one side or the other has won two points in suc- 
cession from deuce. 

When a game has been won, the other side becomes the server, 
the service alternating with the games. The score by games 
is called with the server's score first, or sometimes in matches 
with the side that is ahead first. When the games are even, the 
score is called at i-all 2-all, 3-all or 4-all as the case may 



8 H o 70 to Play Lawn Tennis 

be, but if it is even at 5 — all, then deuce and vantage games 
are played just as in points during the games. Five — all is 
deuce and from this" point it is necessary for one side or the 
other to win two games in succession to take the set, that is, 
as in the games, the set cannot be won by a majority of one, 
the winner must score at least two or more games than the loser. 
Most matches are the best two in three sets, although some 
championship matches are the best three in five sets. 

The server must always strike the ball in the air before it 
touches the ground, but the opponent, who is known technically 
as the striker-out, is not allowed to strike the ball when first 
served until after it has bounded once. After these first two 
strokes, one from either side, the ball is always in play until 
one side or the other fails to return the ball properly and the op- 
ponent then scores a point. Either player, after the first stroke 
from cither side, may play the ball before it has touched the 
ground, which is called a volley, or after it has struck and 
bounded once. If it is allowed to touch the ground a second 
time, the point is lost. 

A drive is a fast hard stroke played underhand from the back 
of the court, and a smash is an overhand volley played very 
hard and fast to "kill" the ball by the speed of the stroke. A 
lob is a ball knocked up into the air to pass over an opponent's 
head, when he is at the net, or to gain time. To cut the ball 
is to strike it sideways, so that it twists rapidly on its own axis, 
hke a billiard ball with "English," which makes it bound crooked. 



H %v to Play Lawn Tennis 



A Brief History of the Game. 

Lawn tennis is essentially a modern game, for its origin dates 
back less than thirty years. Its geneology is rather obscure, and 
the best authorities disagree as to its direct parentage. The first 
record of any such game in Europe, however, occurs in the 
Middle ages, when a crude form of tennis was the favorite sport 
of the Italian and French feudal kings and nobles. The French 
seem to have borrowed the game from the Italians, and they 
called it la longue pauiiic; in Italy it was known under the name 
of polio nc. 

This French game was played with a cork ball, which was 
originally struck with the hand over a bank of earth, which 
served the same purpose as our modern net. Soon a crude racket 
with wooden frame and handle and gut strings was substituted, 
and in this form the game was introduced into England and 
flourished there for many years. 

Major Waiter C. Wingfield, of the British army, is popularly 
credited with the invention of lawn tennis, as we know it, for 
he patented the game in 1874. His original game was played 
on a court shaped like an hour-glass. 60 feet in length and 30 feet 
in width at the base-lines. In the center was stretched a net 
21 feet wide and 7 feet high at its sides, which sagged to 4 feet 
8 inches in the centre. The old method of racquet scoring was 
used, and the server was required to stand within a marked 
space in the middle of his court. 

In March, 1875, the first regular laws for the game were formu- 
lated by the Marylebone Cricket Club, of Lord's. The club's 
committee selected the name of lawn tennis, and promulgated a 
new set of rules that were accepted by Major Wingfield and a 
large majority of those who had taken up the new game. They 
set the length of the court at 78 feet, and there it has remained 
to this day ; but they still preserved the hour-glass form, and the 
breadth required by their first rules was 30 feet at the base-lines 



10 How to Play L a 7u n T e n n i s 

and 24 feet at the net. The net was set at 4 feet high in the 
centre and 5 feet at the posts, and the service-hne at 26 feet from 
the net. The racquet system of scoring, with one or two minor 
alterations, was also preserved. 

At the urgent suggestion of Henry Jones, who afterward be- 
came famous as the "Cavendish" of whist, the All-English 
Croquet Club, whose grounds at Wimbledon have since become 
famous the world over, opened its lawns to lawn tennis in 1875, 
and so popular did the game become that an All-England cham- 
pionship meeting — the first of the series which has represented 
the amateur championship of England — was held in July, 1877, 
the name of the club being then changed to the All-Englarrd 
Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club. This first tournament was 
eminently successful, and the All-England club assumed control 
of the new game. By common consent its decisions were uni- 
versally respected In 1883 an attempt was made to form a 
National Association, but as the All-England Club declined to 
enter into the project, it was a failure; and in Tts place an annual 
meeting of club secretaries was held under the auspices of the 
All-England Club, for the purpose of legislation, until 1888, when 
the present English Lawn Tennis Association was formed as a 
national body to govern the sport. The authority of this organi- 
zation has never since been questioned, and its decisions have 
been accepted throughout the continent and British colonies. The 
only part of the world where separate laws are made is the United 
States, and even here the English rules and changes are carefully 
considered before any alteration is made. 

Major Wingfield's crude lawn tennis game first made its ap- 
pearance in America in 1874, the same year it came out in 
England. A Bostonian, who was traveling abroad, brought home 
a set of Wingfield's rules and implements for the game, and a 
court was laid out at his country home at Nahant, a seaside 
resort near Boston. Another court made its appearance at New- 
port the following spring, and the Staten Island Cricket and 
Base Ball Club, near New York, also took up the game in 1875. 
At Philadelphia, too, the game was introduced at the Young 
America Cricket Club's grounds, and soon grew popular. • 




END OF A FAST FOREHAND STROKE. 
(Miss Marion Jones.) 



12 H o 7v to Play L a %v n Tennis 

During the first few years of its American existence lawn tennis 
was played under widely varying conditions, but the distance 
between the points of play being too great to let these differences 
liecome apparent until open tournaments were held. The nets 
hung at different heights, the courts varied somewhat in size, 
and the balls differed materially both as to size and weight. Local 
tournaments were held at Newport, Boston, Philadelphia and 
Staten Island, but it was not until 1880 when James Dwight and 
Richard D. Sears, of Bcs'.on, who were afterward so famous in 
lawn tennis, played at Staten Island and Philadelphia, that the 
full importance of this confusion became apparent. 

The following spring in May, 1881, a meeting was held in 
New York, and the present United States National Lawn Tennis 
Association was formed. The English rules,' as then in vogue, 
were adopted almost in their entirety and the English champion- 
ship balls were also accepted as official for all American tourna- 
ments. It was decided shortly afterward to hold an annual 
championship toqrnament at the Newport Casino, and a series 
was started that has since been continued regularly every year, 
becoming second in importance only to the Wimbledon event. 

Dwight and Sears were distinctly superior to all other players in 
America during this early period, and their only dangerous rivals 
for several years were the Clark brothers, of Philadelphia. But 
the game spread very rapidly in American soil, and new courts 
and new players sprang up on every hand, although Sears man- 
aged to retain his title as champion for seven successive years. 
During this time, the play developed rapidly and the skill of the 
players increased with wonderful speed, but Sears kept place. 
with all improvements and managed to keep well ahead of all his 
rivals until an injury to his shoulder made it difficult for him to 
play, and he retired on his laurels unbeaten. 

During the first seven years of American lawn tennis, R. D. 
Sears was invincible. The first three seasons he played through 
each tournament at Newport, and each season won the champion- 
slvip without the loss of a set. In 1884 the present system of 
barring the champion out of the all-comers' tournament was 
adopted and Sears successfully defended his title against the 



How to Play Lawn 7' e n n i s I3 

challenge of H. A. Taylor, who was the first challenger for the 
American championship. Sears heat Taylor rather easily by 
three sels to one, and the following year he repeated his success 
over C. M. Brinley, who was the challenger for i835. 

In i8S6 R. L. Beeckman won the Newport tournament and 
challenged in turn for the championship title. Agani was Sears 
invincible, Beeckman meeting the same fate as both of his 
predecessors, although he forced the champion to the first clcse 
match he played at Newport. A year later H. W. Slocum, Jr.. 
challenged for the title, and he was badly beaten by Sears m 
straight sets, although he nad l^eaten all of the other leadmg 
players of the country in the all-comers' tournament. 

Sears's reign ended in 1888, when he voluntarily relinquished 
his claim to the American championship. He had injured his 
shoulder and neck somewhat and wls forced to give up severe 
play. Slocum won the Newport tournament again and took the 
championship by default in Sears's absence. Tins began the 
second era in American championship tournaments. Slocum s 
"tenure of office" lasted only two years. In 1889 Q. A. Shaw, Jr., 
won the all-comers' tournament at Newport, and was beaten three 
sets to one by Slocum in the challenge round, but a year later 
O. S. Campbell, who had been runner-up to Shaw the year before, 
earned the right to challenge the champion, and managed to wrest 
the championship title from him by three sets to one 

Campbell's successful innovation of extreme net play was the 
first of many experimental stages American players had yet to 
go through. He cultivated volleying far beyond his ground- 
strokes yet his methods were startlingly successful at home, 
and he proved invincible for three years. In 1891 Clarence 
Hobart challenged him for the championship, and was beaten m 
-^ five-set challenge match, and the following year F. H. Hovey, 
of Boston, met a similar fate, although only four sets were re- 
quired this time to settle the question of supremacy. 

The following summer R. D. Wrenn won the all-comers tour- 
nament, beating Hovey unexpectedly in the finals, but before the 
challenge match could be played, Campbell announced his retire- 
ment so the championship passed into Wrenn's hands by de- 



14 H o IV to Play Lawn T e n 7i i s 

fault. Wrenn was another volleyer, but with a good command 
also of ground-strokes, and the modern era in America then 
began with Wrenn's advent in 1893, but his style was not fully 
appreciated until the following year, when M. F. Goodbody, the 
visiting Irish expert, went through the Newport all-comers' 
tournament, beating three of the crack American players, Hovey, 
Hobart and Larned 1)y superior steadiness. When Goodbody 
challenged Wrenn. however, it was a ditferent story, and the per- 
sistent resourceful methods of the American champion showed 
his style of net play to be a distinct advance over the former 
American school. 

Hovey had learned the lesson of steadiness better than others 
by the time the next tournament came around, and he won the 
Newport tournament with the loss of only one set, and they 
challenged Wrenn and beat him in straight sets for the cham- 
pionship. 

In 1897, the season was made memorable by the visit to Ameri- 
can courts of a term of British players composed of W. V. 
Eaves, H. S. Mahony and H. A. Nisbet. They were beaten in 
the international tournaments held at Hobokcn, N. J., and Chi- 
cago, 111., and also in an open event at Longwood, Mass., be- 
fore the championship meeting at Newport. Here Eaves beat 
Nisbet in the finals and Mahony was retired in an earlier round 
by M. D. Whitman. Again was Wrenn, the champion, called on 
to defend the national honors against a challenging Englishman 
and again he succeeded in defeating the foreigner. The same 
aggressive net play, which had unproved since he first won the 
title, helped Wrenn to victory and when the fifth set of that 
memorable struggle was reached Wrenn was much the stronger 
and surer, and won with a margin to spare. 

A year later, the war with Spain broke out and both Wrenn 
and Larned were among the volunteers who went to the front 
in Cuba. In their absence, the younger generation of Ameri- 
can experts had matters very much their own way, and M. D. 
Whitman loomed up out of the group as the steadiest and in 
many respects the cleverest. He won the Newport tournament 
after one or two close matches and so fell heir to the cham- 



H zv to Play L a zv ii Tenuis 15 

pionship title in the absence of Wrenn. The new champion made 
a wonderful record during 1898, 1850 and 1900, playing steadily 
through all of the most important American and Canadian tour- 
naments during the three seasons, and losing three matches the 
first year, none the second and only one the third. 

The season of 1899 was Whitman's most remarkable one, for 
he not only did not lose a single match, but was not once forced 
close in tournament play. With un1)r()ken success he defended 
all of the many challenge cups he had won the previous year, and 
when he came to defend his championship title he was considered 
invincible. The all-comers' tournament had a rather sensational 
ending since first honors were won by J. P. Paret, after a number 
of sensational matches, in which the old lesson of steadiness was 
repeated once more. 

The season of 1900 was made notable by the first officially 
recognized international matches in the sport. Through the 
generosity of D. F. Davis, an International Challenge Cup was 
offered and a challenging team was sent to America to try for 
the new trophy. This was composed of A. W. Gore, E. D. 
Black and H. R. Barrett, Black being a Scotchman and the other 
two English. I'he international matches took place at Longwood. 
Mass., the first week in August and the poor showing of the 
challengers was a surprise to all, even to the defenders them- 
selves. The American team won the first three matches played, 
giving them the victory before the last two matches of the series 
were finished. 

Two of the foreigners. Gore and Black, were also entered for 
the championship event at Newport, but made a poor showing 
there. Black was forced to the full five sets by Sumner Hardy, 
and by C. R. Budlong. and then succumbed easily to his fellow- 
visitor. Gore. The latter required the full five sets to beat Hol- 
combe Ward, and then went down before G. L. Wrenn, Jr., who 
in turn was unaljle to get a set in the finals from Earned. The 
latter had an easy road to the finals, winning the all-comers' and 
challenging Champion Whitman. Again the champion proved 
invincible and although Larned's brilliancy carried off the sec- 
ond set in fine style, his spasmodic attack finally broke down 



1 6 II 10 to Play L a 7v n Tennis 

before Whitman's wonderful defence and the champion re- 
tained his honors without great difficuUy. 

This, his third successive victory, gave him possession of the 
fourth American championship challenge cup, its predecessors 
havins been captured bv Sears, Campbell and Wrenn. 





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A STRAIGHT-ARM TOREIIAND DRIVE 
(M. D. Whitman.) 



1 8 II o zv to Play Lawn Tennis 



A First Lesson for Beginners. 

To begin right is half the game in lawn tennis, and if one 
wants to learn to play the game well, it is important to 
begin correctly. Some of the simplest matters are the most im- 
portant, and if these are mastered at the start the improvement 
in skill will follow quickly after, and the development be gradual 
but rapid. To accumulate bad habits of play when first learning 
the game is only to handicap a beginner indefinitely, for it is 
much harder to give up bad habits and alter the style in these 
small matters than to begin all over again and learn anew. Some 
of the most important of these minor details are the smallest 
and the most likely to be overlooked. They are not child's play, 
by any means, and should not be ignored because they seem 
simple. Even the best experts had to learn them first and must 
observe them as well as the beginner. 

First and most important of all, the racket should be firmly 
gripped in making all of the strokes. A loose grasp ruins other- 
wise good play, and no habit interferes vv^ith progress more than 
that of holding the handle loosely. The slightest relaxation in 
the grasp will often let the racket turn in the hand while mak- 
ing a stroke, and it is failure in consequence. It should be 
held by the extreme end always, the "butt" or leather binding at 
the end resting against the ball of the hand. 

For all forehand strokes, or those made, when the ball is on 
the right side of the body, the hand should rest diagonally along 
the handle, with the first finger separated from the others and 
extended an inch or two further along the racket, but also wrap- 
ped around it ; it should never rest its full length , along the 
handle, as we sometimes see beginners doing. The finger nails 
when at rest on the handle, should face at the moment the ball 
is hit in the direction in which it is to fly. 

For backhand strokes, those made when the ball is on the left 



Bow to Play Laio 71 Tennis ig 

side and the arm and racket must be drawn across in front of the 
body, the fingers should be closed together and the thumb ex 
tended out straight along the handle behind the racket in order 
to give more force and better direction to the ball. In backhand 
play, the second or middle knuckles should face when the racket 
meets it in the direction in which the ball is to be driven 

In changing the grip after one stroke for another on the oppo- 
site side, it IS necessary to shift the grip somewhat, but this is 
easily accomplished as the racket is carried across in front of 
the body. It is the custom of almost all good players to balance 
the racket between strokes m front of the body, with the upper 
part of the handle at the "splice," as the fork where the wood 
of the handle spreads out into the frame is called, resting li<Thtlv 
in the left hand. ^ e, j' 

_ After every stroke it is well to return the racket to this posi- 
tion, and the shift in the grip between strokes will never be found 
difficult if this is done. In the heat of the play, the effort of 
shifting the hold becomes almost unconscious and does not dis- 
tract attention from the strokes themselves. Nearly all experts 
condemn as bad form the habit of playing both forehand and 
backhand strokes with the same grip. 

In actually making the stroke, the racket should start as far 
behind the point which the ball is to be hit as possible, and swing 
as far beyond it after the blow as the full reach will permit. 
In forehand strokes, the full length of the arm should be ex- 
tended behind the body to start the swing with plenty of impetus 
and the stroke should be finished well up over the left shoulder, 
the racket even turning in the wrist and dropping down back of 
the head to stop its impetus. 

The swing for backhand stroke should be almost exactly the 
reverse, the racket starting over the left shoulder and ending 
at the extreme length of the arm extend out beyond. The body" 
however, should be turned around in exactly the opposite direc- 
tion, so as to face the ball for each stroke, and the position of 
the feet should be shifted so as to give the firmest balance and 
the freest motion of the body. The feet should be spread well 
apart and the body bent forward at the hips just before the ball 



2o How to Play L a zv n Tennis 

is struck, so that its weight is added to the impulse of the 
racket in making the stroke. 

As in golf, the weight of the hody is carried on the rear leg 
and foot before the stroke, and as the racket swings toward the 
ball, it is thrown forward, shifting to the other, so the added 
force of the body greatly increases the power of the stroke. A 
long swinging sweep of the arm and racket should be cultivated 
so as to meet the ball squarely and with a powerful impact as it 
comes toward you. 

M\ side motion of the recket is lost power; as in golf, the 
head of the racket and the wrist that guides it should travel as 
nearly as possible in the direction the ball is to go just before the 
stroke, while actually hitting the ball and as long as possible 
after the impact. The "follow through" is nearly the same in ten- 
nis as in golf and quite as important. Greater freedom in 
swinging the weight of the body while making the stroke is 
possible in tennis, for the left arm is free to help recover the 
balance, while in golf both are required in holding the club. A 
tennis stroke is made while the body is in motion, too, instead 
of being still, as in golf, so the weight is carried still further 
forward and checked by bringing the rear foot o utin front of 
other. In making a fast tennis stroke forehanded, the weight 
starts on the right foot, shifts to the left as the ball is hit, and is 
finally checked again on the right, which takes a step forward 
to recover the balance just after making the stroke. 

In making lawn tennis strokes, it is vitally important to keep 
away from the ball. One of the most common errors among 
beginners — even with some experienced players — is that of getting 
too close to the ball while playing. The cramped elbow that 
results from this ruins many more strokes than ever spoiled b}'' 
being too far away from the ball. A splendid maxim laid down 
by an expert player is that every player should go to the ball in 
making a stroke, and never let the ball come to him. Even when 
one finds himself in the right position to take the ball, it is better 
to step back as it approaches and then forward again to meet 
it, for this insures the correct position, with better speed and 
direction with the weight moving forward when the stroke is 



H o 7i' to r I a y L a w ft T e n n i s 21 

made. If the flight or hound of the hall is a little further than 
calculated, the player will still he in the right position and not 
too close. In every stroke of the game, the position should he 
that of meeting the hall ; no fast stroke can he made while mov- 
ing backward or even with the weight thrown backward. 

The actual position of the racket in the hand while the stroke 
is being made is very important. In the preliminary swing and 
in hitting the ball, the head of the racket should be nearly level 
with the wrist, and the end of the swing should finish with the 
racket well above the wrist. This requires an upward motion 
of the racket's head as well as the forearm, and it is this motion 
that lifts the ball over the net, while turning of the wrist to one 
side or the other directs it to the right or left. 

As the racket meets the ball, its head should be drawn slightly 
upward so that the strings are dragged across the face of the 
ball as they hit it, and this slight side motion gives the ball a 
twist that keeps it from "sailing," and makes it drop soon after 
crossing the net. In some of the "lift" strokes or "drop" strokes 
played by experts, like the famous "Lawford" stroke, for in- 
stance, this drop is much exaggerated, and the ball describes a 
rainbow arch in its flight, dropping suddenly after crossing the 
net. Much power is wasted in such strokes, but a little twist 
is generally necessary to hit the ball hard and still make it fall 
inside of the court-lines. 

The height at which the hall should be taken depends on the 
height of its bound, which in turn depends on the hardness of 
the court. On most grass courts, the bound in fast play reaches 
about to the knee, and this is the best height at which to hit the 
the ball. Even on harder courts, of "dirt," sand or boards, it is 
better to let the hall drop to this height before hitting it, al- 
though the longer bound keeps the player further back m his 
court, which is not often desirable. Sometimes, it is necessary 
to hit the ball at the level with the hip to prevent being driven 
too far from the net, hut no stroke should ever be made under- 
hand with the ball higher than the hip. 

The eyes shoiild be kept on the ball all of the time as it ap- 
proaches; even up to the time of hitting it, one should watch 



How to Play L a 'lV n T 



e n n I s 



the ball, not the racket or the opposing player. It is some- 
times necessary to look up for a second to see the direction in 
which it is to be placed and where the opponent is, but this 
should be done before the stroke begins, not while it is being 
made. A player often reads his opponent's intention from the 
direction in which he is looking, and if one looks where he 
plans to place the ball, he may betray his thoughts and the op- 
ponent anticipate the stroke by going directly to the spot. 

Perhaps the best way for one who wants to play tennis well, 
is to practice strokes against a blank wall — high fence, the side 
of a house, or some obstacle of that kind — batting the ball up 
against it again and again, hitting it from the bound each 
time it returns. Nothing can possibly afford better practice than 
this kind of play. Experts use it constantly in the spring, and 
find it a better way of getting into form, of "getting their eye 
on the ball," as they say, than even regular practice on a regular 
court. The ball always comes back at the corresponding angle 
to that at which it struck the wall, and with much greater regu- 
larity than any human opponent could return it. 

In all forms of practice, whether against a wall or an antago- 
nist, the method of making the strokes should be kept in mind 
all of the time. Every stroke made in bad form is just so much 
wasted practice, and if a faulty style is contracted, the longer 
it is allowed to. continue without correction, the more danger- 
ous it becomes. Bad form in lawn tennis is as difificult to over- 
come as bad habits in anything else. Some of the simplest and 
least offensive of mannerisms, too, often develop into injurious 
habits if not checked at once. 

Holding the racket loosely in the hand, swinging it or twist- 
ing ii sidewise before making a stroke, jumping a little just be- 
fore the stroke instead of while it is being made, taking the eyes 
off the ball, and even momentary lapses of indifference while 
playing are all dangerous habits to contract, and each will de- 
velop into a bad fault if not checked at once. 

The questions of placing the ball and of covering court so as 
to prevent the opponent from out-placing you are very impor- 
tant, and both permit unlimited study; in fact, the cleverest of 



How to Play Lawn Tennis 23 

tournament players never stop working on these problems. After 
every stroke from one side of the court or the other, one should 
immediately hurry back to the centre of the base-line, so as to 
be ready to start for the next ball, no matter where it is placed. 
If she is caught too far away from the centre, the opponent will 
surely win the stroke by placing the ball to the other side of the 
court and out of her reach. 

Not long ago I discovered an expert tournament player re- 
peatedly stood still after making a stroke from one side of the 
court, and waited to see the result of his play, instead of hurry- 
ing back to the centre of the base-line in anticipation of his 
opponent's next stroke. By this error, he constantly left his 
court open at the opposite side for a well-placed ball that would 
win the point. 

When badly pressed for time or too far out to one side of the 
court to get back again, a lob is always useful, and it gives a 
player plenty of time to get back into position for the next play. 
Beginners should all learn to lob well, as this is an invaluable 
stroke and can always be resorted to for a defense. 

An overhand service is practically necessary for those who 
want to play the game well, although some players learn to 
serve underhand with such a sharp twist that it is difficult to 
make a hard return from the low erratic bound. The ball should 
be thrown up in the air as straight as possible over the right 
shoulder for the overhand service, and hit just as it pauses in 
the air before falling. To throw it much higher and hit it as it 
falls is much more difficult and less effective. 

An overhand service should be made as fast as the player can 
control the ball within the boundaries of the proper court. The 
second service, too, after a first fault has been served, should 
be made in the same way but slower. To serve in a different 
way only tends to upset the accuracy of the first service as well 
as the second, and weakens both. 



24 How to Flay Lawn Tennis 

How to Make the Most Important Strokes. 

I.— The Service. 

Having first mastered the rudiments of the game, one is 
soon led on to the more intricate points of play. In hitting the 
ball, there are very many variations possible, of course, but the 
whole list of strokes can be divided safely into four classes: (i) 
The service, (2) horizontal ground strokes, (3) the volley and 
the half-volley, and (4) the lob. Let us consider the service 
iirst, as it is the opening stroke in every play. 

The service, is restricted by the rules of the game more closely 
than any other play, and it is well that it is so, for there have 
been many attempts to take advantage of the attack given to 
the server by his being allowed to make the first stroke of each 
series. The service rule (No. 6) has had to be changed repeat- 
edly to keep the server from infringing on the rights of his 
opponent. In the modern game it is considered a great ad- 
vantage to get up the net to volley as soon as possible after the 
service has been delivered, and the American experts a few 
years ago carried this plan of attack so far that they served on 
the run, and a new rule (that which is at present in force) had 
to be adopted to stop their onslaught. 

It has always been the intention of the rules to make the 
server stand at the base-line when he delivered his service, and 
the wording has been changed only to define this position more 
closely, so that he shall remain there until after the ball has 
been delivered. Otherwise, he is allowed to hit the ball as he 
pleases, and it is a good service if the ball drops in the service- 
court diagonally opposite him, and does not touch the net in 
crossing. Naturally, the faster the service the more diflficult it 
is to return, and all efforts have been directed toward getting 
greater speed in the delivery without forcing the ball to strike 
out of the required court. 

There used to be many methods of underhand twist services 



,^-^*. 




A GOOD OVERHAND SERVICE FOR WOMEN. 
(Mrs. G. Wo Hillyard.) 



25 H o zv to Flay Lawn Tennis 

used, much like those of rackets and courts tennis, and it was 
intended to make the ball bound up from the ground at an 
erratic angle that would make it more difficult for the opponent 
to return. These twist services passed out of use, however, 
when faster return strokes and harder drives came into use and 
have been only occasionally revived for special uses, sometimes 
against women in mixed doubles, or occasionally against a 
player who finds it difficult to hit the heavily cut ball. It is also 
occasionally useful to serve an underhand twist ball when the 
sun shines brightly in the server's face, and m.akes it difficult to 
look up for an overhand service. The American twist service is 
a newer and more scientific development of these old-fashioned 
twist deliveries, but the ball is served overhand and very fast. 
A special chapter has been devoted to this one play. 

The most useful and commonest service used by good players 
is an overhand delivery almost straight with a slight cut to the 
right that keeps the ball from "sailing" in the air. A ball always 
travels faster and truer if it turns on its own axis, and this same 
principle which is used in "rifling" guns is brought into use in 
serving a tennis ball. The player should reach as high as pos- 
sible, even serving up on the right toe, and strike the ball at 
the extreme length of this racket. The server should reach up 
a little above the baU, too, so that the pressure of the racket 
shall be slightly on top as well as on the right side of the ball. 
This top twist helps to bring the ball down into the court, when 
sometimes it might otherwise go out and be a fault. 

This overhand cut service curves slightly to the (server's) 
left, and its tendency is to draw the opponent out slightly in 
that direction in order to return it. If a player can combine 
this service with a "reverse" service, which is made by drawing 
the racket across the ball in the opposite direction, from left to 
right, he can fool the adversary wonderfully by varying the two, 
and keep him guessing almost constantly. This gives the server 
a big advantage, for the opponent is unable to anticipate his 
delivery and finds it more difficult to make a strong return. 

It is important to have a strong second service, and too many 



How to Play L a 7V n Tennis 27 

players neglect this feature of their play, serving so slowly and 
"softly" in their anxiety to be certain to avoid the double fault, 
that their second service is very easy to kill. The second 
service should be as nearly like the first as possible, only mod- 
erated enough to be certain of not missing making a double 
fault. I know a number of good tournament players whose 
game shows the woeful weakness of a second service that can 
be killed often by a fast drive from the slow high bound. It is 
doubly important that the second service should be as long as 
possible, that is, following as near the service-line as possible; 
and that it should not bound high so as to offer a tempting 
mark to drive at. 

Many players try for exceptional speed with their first service, 
when they know that the chances are heavily against their 
making the stroke count. The result is that the second service, 
when they miss, is so much softer than the first that it is easy 
to kill. It is better to make the first a little slower and be more 
sure of bringing it in, and then to make the second more nearly 
like the first if the latter should be a fault. 

If the server plans to run in on his service and to volley the 
opponent's first return, there are other considerations than mere 
speed and twist to consider in making the service. Direction 
and placing are even more important than either speed or bound, 
for the ball must be carefully placed to make the server's posi- 
tion safe at the net. It is generally the safest in running in. to 
serve to the centre of the court, for it is always more difificult 
for the opponent to pass a volleycr at the net from the centre 
of the court than from either edge, where the side-line is always 
open. 

If the opponent is particularly weak on his backhand, or if he 
stands well over toward the centre of the court to anticipate a 
delivery to this point, it is well to vary the direction of the 
service to the extreme cd^e of the right-hand court. This will 
often force him out of court to make the return, and its unex- 
pected direction will make it more difficult for him to handle 
the ball well. 



28 How to Play Lawn Tennis 

11. — The Ground-Stroke. 

At least three-quarters of the game is made up of ground- 
strokes, and upon a player's skill in this department of the game 
depends much of his success. It is impossible to play the game 
well without good ground-strokes, and very few men have ever 
succeeded with only volleying to back them up. To win a rally 
by volleying at the net requires, first, good ground-strokes to 
make the opening when the volleyer will be safe at the net. To 
be sure, there is only one stroke in each rally that is required 
by law tc) be played off the ground — the return of the service — 
but few men are able to volley so well that they can reach the 
net safely after every service and first return, and it is prac- 
tically necessary to earn the position for a smash or volleyed ace 
by good ground-strokes that lead up to the winning position. 

The straight horizontal drive is the most useful of all the 
ground-strokes, and this can be made either forehand or back- 
hand. It needs a full, long swing, a clean-hit ball and as much 
body swing and "carry through," as the golfers call it, as it is 
possible to get in the stroke. The ball is best taken at about 
the height of the knee, and a little "lift" put on it at the end of 
the stroke. Many players have a habit of striking the ball much 
higher than the knee, often higher than the waist, but this not 
only makes the stroke more difficult to execute, but it also in- 
creases the chances of putting it into the net. In making this 
stroke. I want to emphasize once more, however, the importance 
of getting the weight of the body into the stroke and of throw- 
ing it forward so that the weight follows the racket as long ?.s 
possible. 

Most beginners in lawn tennis have a tendencv to push the 
ball rather than to hit it, and the effect is to ruin what might 
otherwise be a good stroke. The impact against the bill should 
be clean-cut and sharp, but the rncket should fallow the ball 
until it is well started on its course. 

The drop stroke, often erroneously called the "Lawford" 
stroke, is an exaggeration of this side-strike that has become 




THE WAY TO MAKE A "CHOP STROKE." 
(J. P. PareTo) 



30 H o %v to Play Lawn Tennis 

very commonly used ; in fact, more often seen than the true 
stroke. In making this, the racket meets the ball with a diag- 
onal sweep, striking it a glancing blow with a sharp up-twist that 
drags the ball along with it and gives it a sharp spinning motion, 
like a "follow" shot in billiards. By some tennis players this is 
so much exaggerated that the ball describes a sharp, rainbow- 
like course as it crosses the net and dips quickly after crossing, 
so that many balls that seem to be going out of court ultimately 
fall inside the boundaries. 

This stroke is very useful for passing an opponent at the net. 
for it is doubly difficult to volley a falling ball like this sends, 
but against an opponent at the back of his court, it takes un- 
necessary risks without proportionate gain, for it accomplishes 
no more, save, possibly, a little greater speed than the straight 
side-stroke. 

The chop-stroke is another method of s:riking the ball after 
it has bounded which has found a great many devotees. The 
ball is hit with a downward chopping motion like that made ,by 
a woodsman swinging an axe. The head of the racket is 
bevelled and meets the ball at a sharp angle, striking a glancing 
blow that gives the ball a sharp back-spinning motion, opposite 
to that given by the drop or lift stroke, and like the spin of a 
billiard ball after it has been played for a draw-shot. 

This stroke is a corruption of the English method of striking 
under the ball rathec than over it, as so many Americans do, 
and it has been exaggerated until some players "chop" nearly 
every ball they play. The tendency of this stroke is to keep 
the ball up. rather than make it drop into court, and unless it 
is played slow or from well above the net. it often sails out of 
court. The player has a little better command of the ball, per- 
haps, but less speed than with the straight side-stroke. 

In backhand play, the straight side stroke is the most useful 
of all but more difficult than the chop-stroke. The drop-stroke 
is very difficult to phy on the back-hand side and few players 
ever use it except on the forehand, while the cut or chop stroke 
is the easiest and most often used on the back-hand. The Eng- 



How to Flay Lawn Tennis 31 

lish players use it a good deal, cutting much more in their back- 
hand play than on the other side of the body. 

I he chop-stroke is the most difficult of all to handle at the 
back of the court, because of the twisting ball and low bound, 
but it is very easy indeed to volley if an opponent plays it 
when one is waiting at the net. The straight side-stroke is the 
best of all for driving against a base-line player and the drop- 
stroke for passing. It is difficult, however, to combine both, 
and few players have succeeded in doing so. A man must 
choose one or the other to gain success and stand or fall by 
that. It takes a wonderful amount of practice to perfect either 
stroke and if one divides his time and attention between two 
different styles, he is likely to imitate the "Jack of all trades, 
master of none." 

In receiving the service, the ground-stroke must be used al- 
ways, and it depends upon the style of the opponent which is 
the best play to use against him. If the server runs in to the 
net to volley after each service, a side-line passing drive or a 
short cross-court stroke will generally prove the best answer 
to his attack. Such a return makes the ball drop so soon after 
crossing the net that it is very difficult for him to volley the 
stroke, and even if he does succeed, he generally hits the ball 
below the level of the net and his volley becomes less dangerous 
because he nmst lift the ball up again somewhat in order to 
keep it from going into the net. If he volleys too well to pass, 
then a lob must be resorted to. 

If the opponent is a base-line player and does not run in at 
once to volley, the drop-stroke is not so useful for attacking or 
opening upoji an attack for a winning volley at the net, as either 
the chop-stroke or the straight side-stroke. It adds to the 
chance of error without increasing the force of the attack. The 
drop-stroke spins out a good deal after it has struck the ground 
and loses much of its speed when it rises the second time for 
the opponent to return, while the chop-stroke "shoots" faster 
than ever from the ground and the straight side-stroke holds 
most of its place after bounding. 



32 H 7v to Play L a %v n Tennis 

The question of length is of utmost importance m making 
good ground-strokes, and for this purpose the straight side- 
stroke is the most powerful of all ground-strokes. Both the 
chop-stroke and the drop-stroke depend on their twist to keep 
them within the boundaries of the court, while the side-stroke 
is aimed for the spot it is intended to strike. In using the drop- 
stroke, the player aims many feet beyond where he expects the 
ball to fall, and depends upon the drop to bring it into the court, 
while with the chop-stroke, it is. just the reverse, for the player 
has to aim the ball many feet short of the base-line in order 
to bring it inside of the line, as the under-twist makes the ball 
"sail" somewhat. 

For all-round uses, therefore, the straight side-stroke is the 
most useful, but it does not follow that no cut should ever 
be used with it. On the contrary, it is possible to use a little 
of either cut with this stroke, and thus get part of the effect 
of either of the other two strokes, while with either of the 
exaggerated styles, the other is almost impossible to acquire. 
Many players who have mastered the straight side-stroke, and 
who follow through after the ball the longest in making it, vary 
its use a good deal by twisting the ball slightly according to the 
position of the opponent. 

Against a man at the net. they finish the stroke with the 
racket drawn somewhat up toward the left shoulder, and this 
gives the ball a top twist that makes it drop slightly after 
crossing the net. although not nearly so much as with the 
regular drop-stroke. When the opponent is at the base-line, a 
little under twist keeps the ball from bounding high and makes 
it shoot so from the bound that it will be forced further away 
and find it more difficult than ever to make a safe return. With 
this straight side-stroke, the player has the best control of the 
ball that can be secured, and if he follows it well with his racket 
in hitting it, he can direct the ball very closely to where he 
wants it to go. 



How to Play L a xu n Tennis 33 

III. — The Volley and Half- Volley. 

The most thoroughly American stroke of all those which are 
used in lawn tennis is the volley, and much of its modern de- 
velopment is due to American methods. Our players volley with 
nuich more aggressiveness than the Englishmen and their attack 
is much stronger and more effective in consequence. A great 
part of the volleying abroad is underhand, the ball being struck 
from below the level of the net and must be lifted back over 
its top again before it can seek a vulnerable point of the adver- 
sary's court. This naturally lessens its power of attack and 
makes it more of a defensive stroke. 

Americans, on the other hand, rush in much closer to the 
net and volley sharper and faster, hitting the ball at the top of 
its flight and driving it downward with a sharp stroke. They 
smash much more, too, than their English cousins and seldom 
fail to take advantage of an opening for a killing stroke, when 
the foreigners often satisfy themselves by keeping the ball in 
play with underhand volleys that do not kill. 

My advice to any young player who wants to learn to volley 
underhand is — don't do it at all. At best it is a defensive stroke, 
and a volley should never be allowed to be defensive. If driven 
back from the net so far that it is impossible to reach the ball 
before it has fallen so low as to make an underhand volley 
necessary, it is much preferable for the player to fall back still 
further and make a ground-stroke instead of a low volley. The 
position is stronger and stroke is likely to be much better. 

Horizontal volleying is the most important of all. and upon 
his skill at that depends a large part of a player's success at net 
play. Once safely ensconced at the net, all fast returns offer 
horizontal volleys and only the lobbed balls give openings for 
overhead volleying or smashing. The most important point in 
horizontal volleying is to hold the wrist very stiff and to meet 
the ball with a rigid racket that does not give at all from the 
impact. One should never volley upward either; it is better to 
strike a little downward and if the ball is too close to the net 
to direct it downward at once, the face of the racket can be 




LARNED'S BACKHAND STROKE. 



Ho^v to Play Lawn T e ri n i s 35 

bevelled slightly upward to keep the ball from going into the net 
The racket should be drawn back eighteen inches or two feet 
as the ball comes toward you, and then brought forward with a 
quick determmed stroke that meets the ball with a sharp blow 
and follows it as far as possible. To merely stop a ball without 
stnkmg ,t, or even after striking it, to relax the grip of the 
racket so that it gives^ when the ball meets it, means to rob 
the volley of all its life and snap, and to make a weak return 
Of the stroke. Except for the tricky "stop-volley" which is 
rapidly coming into use for grass court play against a base-- 
line player, the ball should always be hit firmly and sharply and 
the direction controlled by turning the wrist in one direction or 
another at the last second before striking the ball. 

These stop-volleys are made by close net players by holding 
the racket rather loosely and merely stopping a fast drive a^t 
the net and allowing the ball to fall just over into the opposite 
court and drop there lifeless with little or no bound. If the 
opponent is far back in his court and not expecting this play he 
is seldom able to get up to the net in time to reach the ball before 
It bounds the second time. It is possible to bring ofif these stop- 
volleys successfully, however, only when the volleyer is very 
close to the net. so close in fact that he is in danger of having 
the ball lobbed over his head. The correct play against a 
volleyer who gets in so close as this is always to lob over his 
head, for he is seldom able to back away in time to volley the 
ball, and generally has to let it bound and return it with another 
lob. 

Overhead volleying or smashing is much like serving The 
player should reach as high as possible over his head and strike 
the ball from over his right shoulder with as much force as 
possible. In smashing, the weight should be thrown far forward 
and the additional impetus of the body's swing added to the force 
of the blow. The object of a smash is to kill a dropping ball by 
the sheer speed of the blow, rather than the accuracy of its plac- 
ing, but many well-smashed balls are returned by the opponent, 
and the player should not lose his balance entirely, for then he 



36 How to Play L a IV n Tennis 

will not be ready for the next stroke in case his antagonist should 
return his first smash. 

It is never safe to risk a smash if behind the service-line, 
and a ball that is going to fall further back than that should be 
volleyed rather than smashed. Smashing is very much over- 
done anyway. It is quite unnecessary to smash many short lobs 
that come to a player during the course of a game, for an ordi- 
narily fast overhead volley to some remote part of the court 
where it is well out of the reach of the opponent is quite as 
effective as a smash, and reduces materially the chance of error 
without weakening the chances of winning the ace. When a 
volley will kill the ball, a player should never risk a smash or 
waste his strength on the play either. 

Half-volleying is only a makeshift at best to cover up a 
mistake in position. A player should never half-volley if.it is 
possible to make any other stroke. He should go back and play 
off the ground, or run forward to meet the ball and volley the 
return. Some of the English players half-volley aggressively 
from choice, even when it is possible for them to avoid the 
stroke, but this play has been fostered and practiced because of 
the volleying position of the Englishmen, many feet further 
from the net than that which the Americans prefer. The conse- 
quence is that many balls drop at their feet when they are in 
their customary position for volleying, at the service-line, and 
they get used to half-volleying instead of shifting position to get 
the ball either on the volley or after it has risen well from the 
ground. 

IV. — The Lob. 
The lob is a stroke that used to be considered only useful 
for defence, but modern American methods have brought it 
into common play both for attack and defence, and it has now 
become recognized as a general stroke of the game. Primarily, 
it is used either to get the ball out of the reach of an opponent 
at the net waiting to volley it. or to save time bv knocking the 
ball high into the air while you get back into position or recover 
your "wind," if out of breath. 




START OF A BACKHAND STROKE. 
Miss Marion Jones. 



38 H o 7v to Flay L a 10 n Tennis 

Some players find it difficult to kill a lobbed ball, and in a 
tournament match the ability to lob well may prove of great 
advantage against an antagonist. If hard pressed, it also fur- 
nishes a breathing spell that may be just enough to save the set. 
The ball should be played high into the air and well back, in the 
opponent's court. The lob short is sure death, and one had 
better not lob at all than to lob short of the service-line. The 
ball should be hit with confidence and with force behind it, 
not hesitatingly, as though the player were afraid the stroke 
would be a failure. This uncertain w'ay of lobbing is the most 
dangerous of all. 

Of recent years, however, still another use has come into 
play for the lob, and this is the result of the American habit of 
getting in close to the net to volley. Once the opponent gets 
in closer than the usual net position, when less than ten feet 
from the net, the overhead attack can be started by lobbing, 
and he can quickly be driven away from his advantageous posi- 
tion. A low lob, just out of his reach, sometimes scores a clean 
ace, and even a high one will often force him to turn and run 
back in his court to return the ball. 

A young player should always practice lobbing enough to be 
certain of the play. It is always useful and one can never tel! 
when he will have to bring the stroke into use. Nothing is more 
demoralizing, too, than to lob short and have the ball killed so 
hard that you have not a chance to reach it. Before an import- 
ant match, it is a good plan to practice lobbing for some time, 
and the question of length should be watched closely, for a 
good lob should always fall between the service-line and the 
base-line — better yet, within ten feet of the ■t)ase-line. 

I have often spent an hour with a patient friend on the other 
side of the net, practicing just this one stroke, and the result 
justified all my hard work, for it gave me command of a play 
that served me in good stead whenever I got into any kind of 
difficulties. It is the most perfect defence that can be found, 
and against any but a very strong smasher, it often becomes a 
strong attack. 



H zv to Play L a zv u Tennis 3g 



The American Twist Service 

There has been a good deal of mystery surrounding the Ameri- 
can twist services which have recently become so prominent in 
the international matches. As a matter of fact, there should be 
no mystery at all in regard to this play, as it is simply a scien- 
tific development of the common underhand twist strokes adapted 
for overhead play with the additional speed which has made the 
new stroke so formidable. It is a common error to call these 
deliveries "reverse twists." for, as a matter of fact, the only re- 
verse twist overhead service in use among the experts is that de- 
livered by Champion Whitman, while the twist service used by 
Davis, Ward and Alexander have all the natural out twist. As 
Davis is a left-handed player, his service "breaks" from the 
ground in the opposite direction from those deliveries by right- 
handed players. 

Ever since the early days of baseball the scientific theory of 
curving a ball in the air has been well understood. The top of 
a carriage wheel travels faster than the bottom, because its axis 
is moving ahead all of the time, and in the same way the friction 
on the side of a ball which is twisting on its own axis is greater 
on the side which is going fastest through the air — the right- 
hand side in a right-twist delivery and vice versa. The rougher 
the surface of any spherical body the more it will curve in the 
air, because the friction becomes greater against the particles of 
the air itself. The rough felt covering of a lawn tennis ball 
causes more friction than a leather-covered baseball and conse- 
quently the tennis ball curves more in the air. 

The secret of success in making this new twist service is not 
to make the ball curve so much to one side or the other as to 
curve downward in its flight like the "drop" of a modern base- 
ball pitcher. It is necessary to make a tennis ball drop quickly 
after crossing the net if it is to be served with much speed and 



40 How to Play L a iv n Tennis 

still strike within the boundary of the service court. To accom- 
plish this the ball must be hit on top as much as possible, and the 
secret of the new twist service lies in reaching over the ball and 
striking it from above as well as one side. The racket strings 
are drawn across the cover of the ball as much as possible, the 
ball taking the strings near one edge of the frame and leaving at 
the other side. To do this a very quick side motion is required, 
and it is this that gives the ball its rapid spinning motion. 

It has been a mystery to many why a tennis ball should bound 
in the opposite direction from its curve, but if one will apply the 
principle of the "English" in billiards he will understand at once 
the reason. In the overhand out twist, as served by Ward and 
Alexander, the ball spins sharply on its owm axis, combining the 
effect of right-hand English and the "follow" shot in billiards — 
in other words, it spins exactly like a billiard ball when hit for a 
follow shot with right English. It curves to the (server's) left 
in seeking the line of the least resistance (which is a common 
rule in all physics) because of the greater friction on its right 
side, and it curves downward in its flight because of the greater 
friction on its top side. 

Instantly the ball strikes the ground it breaks to the right be- 
cause the spinning motion drags it that way when it comes in con- 
tact with the ground, just the same as a billiard ball with right 
English will rebound to the right when it strikes the cushion of 
the table. Thus we have the double motion in this new twist 
service, which has puzzled so many who have played against it. 
The reason why its effect has been greater with American than 
with English balls is because the surface covering of the Ameri- 
can ball is rougher than that of the English, and the resistance in 
going through the air becomes greater in consequence. The ball 
gets a sharper twist from the racket because the rougher cover 
makes it cling longer to the string. 

The service used by Whitman has the reverse twist, his racket 
removes from (his) right to his left, the ball curves from left 
to right, and breaks again to the left as it leaves the ground. 
Davis's service has the same curves and the same effect as Whit- 
man's, but Davis reaches very much further over the ball, hitting 



How to Play L a xv n Tennis 41 

it faster and making it bound deeper. It is an out twist and not 
a reverse twist, however, because Davis plays with his left hand 
and the racket travels away from his body, not across it. The 
service used by Ward and Alexander is an out twist made with 
the right arm, the racket traveling away from the body to the 
(server's) right; the ball curves from right to left, and breaks 
sharply to the right again after leaving the ground. 

In Whitman's case the racket travels across in front of his 
body and the tendency in making this reverse twist is to throw 
the server off his balance, and to make it doubly difficult for him 
to run in to the net to volley the first return. In the case of the 
out twist, it is just the reverse, and Ward is said to have in- 
vented this service in an effort to get the impetus of the racket 
to help him get in motion quicker after serving in his hurry to 
reach the net for the volleying position. 

In each case where this out tvv'ist service has been successful 
the server bends very far backward and drops his racket down 
far behind his back before making the stroke. In each case, 
too, he reaches well up over the ball, and the more he hits it 
on top, the more speed he can secure and still make the ball drop 
enough to fall inside of the service court. There is a tendency 
also to ease up slightly on the inside edge of the racket so that 
the strings will follow the ball longer and give it a sharper twist 
in making the stroke. 

This new American twist service is physically very severe on 
its users, and tires the muscles of the back and stomach more 
than those of the arms, because of the sharp bending backward 
as the stroke is made. There is no secret about it, however, 
and the fact that Alexander has successfully learned to use it 
simply through watching Ward make the service and practising 
it steadily is proof that any other player can learn this stroke 
who will give enough time and conscientious effort to learn it. 
The keynote to success, however, lies in hitting the ball well 
on top with a very sharp twist, the ball rolling across the entire 
face of the strings before it leaves it, and in striking it very 
much harder than would be possible to bring an ordinary service 
within the court. 



42 How to Play Lawn 1 e n n i s 



Styles and Skill of the Expert Players. 

No matter how much one may have learned from books of 
instruction, the best method of learning to play lawn tennis 
well is to watch some expert tournament player at work, and 
then to copy his style. Many men have become experts them- 
selves in just this way. Not more than once in a hundred times 
does a player become skillful and win much success at the game 
without playing in good form. That is one of the first essentials 
to success, and it is generally safe to copy the style of any clever 
player. 

Larned, the present champion, is a model of good form in all 
of his plays, but few players have been able to copy his style. 
He is a natural, easy, graceful player, to whom every stroke seems 
to come easy. He seldom seems to make any effort, yet the ball 
travels fast from his racket and with unerring precision in the 
direction that he wills it. He hits the ball with a long, graceful 
sweep that directs it accurately, and his placing strokes are little 
short of marvelous. 

Ex-champion Whitman is an expert of another type. He is 
a crafty, cautious player, of the opposite style from the dashing 
Larned, and a much safer player to copy, for his style is one that 
wins the greater number of matches, beside thh fact ihat it is 
cultivated while that of the champion is born in one. Whitman 
crouches a good deal in making his strokes, particularly on the 
backhand side and he slices under the ball more than most Ameri- 
can players do. He is particularly free in all his strokes, how- 
ever, and has a more certain command of the ball than even 
Larned. 

Davis is a thundering hard-hitter who takes wonderful risks, 
often unnecessary ones. Where one player might succeed at this 



How to Flay Lawn Ten n i s 43 

style of play, a hundred would fail — yes, a thousand. Less strength 
in the stroke, a little less speed in smashing and fewer risks 
taken in placing ground-strokes into the furthermost corners of 
the court are likely to earn quite as many successes. 

Ex-champion Wrenn is perhaps the highest ideal of a winning 
player, and if a young player wants some style to copy, his is the 
best. He has all the defensive genius of Whitman, with a 
stronger attack and a much better net game. Wrenn uses 
his weight in the stroke better than does Whitman and manages 
to make the ball travel faster without materially greater risk of 
error. He was a master of defence at his best, and also a master 
of attack, and best of all, a general in tactics. One could not do 
better than to copy his style. 

The English experts, like Mahony, for instance, have a dif- 
ferent style of playing their backhand strokes from that most used 
in America, and it is much safer although perhaps not so bril- 
liant for passing strokes. They carry the wrist very low in 
backhand play and the head of the racket passes under the ball 
after making the stroke, instead of following it so long as do the 
American rackets. This style has the merit of being much 
more certain of return than ours, but the ball is not so easdy 
turned off one way or another. 

Hobart is another hard hitter, but of a different type from 
Davis. He does not take so many chances as the St. Louis 
expert, and confines most of his efforts to hard ground-strokes 
from the base-line. The ball travels fast and low with a sharp 
up-twist, like the famous old Lawford stroke, but it has a long 
bound and is not difficult to return, if the opponent is active and 
certain enough in his returns. The weakness of Hobart's style is 
his lack of volleying, but his ground-stroke might well be copied 
if one can add good volleying to make the net game an important 
factor as well. 

Stevens is the typical base-line player of the country. It is 
literally true that he never volleys at all in a match. He has 
a perfect command of the ball after it has bounded and he hits 
it both hard and accurately. This style of base-line play is all 
right for defence, if the player has enough strength to last almost 




THE ENGLISH S lYLE ( )F BACKHAND. 
(H. S. Mahony,) 



H o tv to Play L a 7v n Tennis 45 

indefinitely, but it is very weak for attack. Its chief weapon of 
attack is the passing stroke, and Stevens always tries to draw 
his opponent into the volleying position near the net so that he 
may pass him with a fast ground-stroke or lob over his head. 

Ward is the reverse of Stevens, practically all of his skill lying 
in his volleys, and he runs into the net at every opportunity to 
take the volleying position. His ground-strokes are inclined to 
be weak, and against a good passer he is always at a disadvantage 
because he cannot hold up his end if kept away from the net by 
the accuracy of his opponent's passing. Once Ward reaches the 
ball near the net, however, it is pretty certain to be killed, for he 
has a great variety of killing strokes on the volley, and uses them 
with rare judgment. Ward's style is not a good one to copy, 
unless one has learned to play ground-strokes first, for Ward's 
skill at volleying has reached a point that few can ever reach, 
and without it he would not be very good. 

Among the women players, Miss Marion Jones's style is per- 
haps the best to copy. She hits the ball with a long free sweep 
like that of a man, and gets more speed in her returns than most 
other women players. Miss Moore, the champion, has not so 
much speed in her backhand strokes, which slice the ball too 
much, but her forehand drives are fast and generally well placed. 
She is probably the best volleyer in the country among the 
women, too. Still, for all-round skill and style, Miss Jones is the 
better model, for her strokes arc made in better form than those 
of the champion. 

However, it is safe to copy almost any successful player, but 
one thing should always be borne in mind. For a young player 
just learning the finer points of the game: It is the height of 
folly to confine all efforts to one style of play or to one particu- 
lar stroke. It is in the variety of strokes that the greatest skill 
lies, and the more a player is able to vary his strokes, the better 
will be his success in tournament matches. 



46 H 7v to Play Lawn Tennis 



How to Build and Keep a Court. 

Nothing is more important for the full enjoyment of lawn 
tennis than a satisfactory court, and none of the other acces- 
sories of the game offers a wider variety. Many important 
considerations come up even after the kind of court to be built, 
and the cost, have been decided upon. No matter how much is 
to be spent on the ground, nor what the surface is to be, the 
most important things to consider first are space, light and drain- 
age. 

The back-stop nettings should never be nearer than fifteen feet 
from the lines, and if good players are expected to use the court, 
particularly if tournament matches are to take place on it, the 
space behind the base-line should be 21 feet at each end. At the 
sides at least 6 feet, if possible 12 feet should be allowed beyond 
the side-lines for doubles of each court. A well-appointed court 
for tournament play should be centered in an unobstructed space 
of not less than 60x120 feet. Wire back-stop netting 10 or 12 
feet high should surround it at these distances from the lines. 
If there are two or more courts together, there should be at least 
12 feet between their side-lines, and one netting can surround all. 

In selecting a site for a court, a spot should be chosen where 
there is always plenty of sunlight, and where at no time of the 
day does any shadow cross the ground on which the court is to 
be laid. Green or black is a preferable background to play 
against; but any dark and even color will do. A court should 
never be laid out with any very light background within a short 
distance at either end, or close at either side. Nor should a 
site be selected with a badly mixed or moving background. 
Shade trees are useful near a court, only if their shadow is a 
solid one, not constantly checkered by flecks of sunlight glittering 
through moving branches, which constantly confuse the players. 



4^8 How to Play La TV 



e n n 7 s 



Never should they be allowed near enough to cast any shadows 
on the playing surface. 

One more cardinal point should be remembered. The court 
should invariably be laid out north and south — nev-er east an(J 
west. If this warning is disregarded, the player at one end or the 
other will be hopelessly blinded by the sun. 

The question of drainage is one of the most important con- 
siderations in selecting a site of this kind. On the natural fa- 
cilities depends largely the cost of laying out a good court. If 
the natural soil be sandy and well draiiied, or if it is on high 
ground which slopes away near by, artificial drain -pipes will not 
have to be put in, and this saves much of the cost, but if it be 
thick clay that holds moisture long, or on low ground with 
neighboring slopes that drain toward it, the court will be useless 
for many hours after each rainfall unless artificial drain-pipes 
are put in. 

After the site has been selected, it must bt decided whether 
a grass or "dirt" court is to be built. If the natural sod is 
luxuriant and the soil favorable for its growth, or if liie court 
is not to be used enough to wear off the grass, a turf court will 
generally be found preferable, but if the ground is to be con- 
stantly in use, the sod will wear off and become "bald" unless 
there is space enough on the lawn to shift the court frequently. 

When good turf cannot be had or will not stand the wear, 
a substitute must be found, and sand or gravel courts are most 
often used. On well-drained land, one can sometimes cut away 
the top surface, level the ground and roll it until well hardened 
and the court is ready for use. but more preparation is necessary 
to build a permanent court that will not be constantly losing its 
proper level. 

For such a court the earth should be cut away to a depth 
of one foot if no drains are required. After leveling it care- 
fully with a spirit-level, to be sure that the grade is right, a 
layer of six inches of broken stone should first be laid and 
pounded down hard. Ordinary trap-rock used for macadamiz- 
ing roads is perhaps the best for this purpose, but any broken 
stone, ranging in sizes from a walnut to an egg, will answer 



H IV to Play L a 7v n J' e n n i s 49 

the purpose. This should be covered with a three-inch layer 
of coarse gravel or fine broken stone, which should be thor- 
oughly pounded and watered for several days before being 
covered. Before any surface is put on the court, the greatest 
care should be taken to see that the foundation is perfectly 
level, or. rather that the center of it is not more than eight or 
less than four inches lower than at the ends. Any holes or 
depressions that appear from rolling and pounding should be 
filled in before it is covered. 

Every well-built court should be graded toward the net, and 
a drain-pipe, well protected with broken stone should be sunk 
at right angles to the court, dividing it in halves at the net. 
Toward this gutter the surface of the court should be drained 
and the drain-pipe in turn should be tilted enough to carry the 
water to one side well off the grounds, into some lower spot, 
or be connected with some sunken hogshead or regular sewer. 
A surface grade of six inches is enough to keep the average 
court dry. The base-lines therefore should be six inches higher 
than the ground at the net, and if the soil is sandy enough to 
take up most of the water from the average rainstorm, no drain 
but that under the net will be necessary. 

Many courts are drained off to one side, while others have 
all the grade from one end to the other, but in either case the 
playing surface of the court is not true, and expert players 
will soon notice this fault. The surface is also gradually washed 
away by storms. A grade of six inches from either end 'down 
to the net not only leaves the court true for play, but is hardly 
noticeable. The drain under the net is easily kept free, if well 
filled with broken stone, and it carries off all the moisture from 
the court. In the heaviest storms a small pool of water settles 
here, but the drain soon sucks it all in and the surface soon 
dries up. 

If artificial drainage is necessary to keep the court dry, drain- 
pipes can be laid in the foundations of the court. This can be 
done by getting six-inch stone sewer-pipes cut in halves, or 
stone gutters used on tiled roofs, and sinking them in the 
ground, open side up, immediately under the foundation of 



-o H o 7V to Play L a lu n Tennis 

broken rock. Two or three should be placed on each side of 
the net, parallel with the side-lines and graded down toward 
the center gutter under the net. These pipes should be filled 
with coarse pebbles or cracked stones about the size of walnuts, 
and they keep the drains from filling up with earth. The water 
will then trickle through the coarse sand and stones to the pipes 
and be carried down to the main gutter and so off the court. 

The covering for a gravel or sand court should be not less 
than three nor more than six inches in thickness, and of sandy 
loam and clay mixed. The proportions depend on the quality 
of the clay. If it is very binding and sticky, two parts of sand 
to one of clay are preferable, but for the average ingredients 
they should be mixed about evenly. When the court is finished, 
if it is foimd to be too soft but dry, more clay should be added ; 
while if it drains poorly and stays muddy too long after rain, 
or its surface is too sticky for the player's feet, more sand 
should be added on the surface. When a court is finally covered, 
it should be thoroughly watered and rolled alternately twice 
every day for two weeks before it is played on at all, and any 
depressions or uneven spots corrected as fast as they appear 
from the settling. After the first heavy rainstorm it should be 
gone over and releveled most carefuly, for then it is most likely 
to develop new faults. 

The fine seashore sand will seldom be found satisfactory for 
the surface of a court, for it works loose too quickly under 
the players' feet, and can only be made to bind when mixed 
with a larger proportion of clay, which will make the drainage 
more difficult, as water percolates very slowly through clay. If 
the soil upon which a court is being built is very rich and worms 
promise to work through to the surface above and injure the 
court, it is well to lay a layer of fine cinders, those from a rail- 
road engine preferred, between the foundation and the sandy 
surface layer. These cinders effectually prevent worms from 
coming through to the surface. It is also well to use coarse 
sifted ashes mixed with the stones in the drain-pipes. 

The construction of a grass court is less difficult, but varies 
much more in process. If cost need not be considered, it should 



How to Flay Lawn Tennis 51 

be built by a professional, and will be laid on deep-laid founda- 
tions ; if it is desired to build an economical court on an avail- 
able lawn which is fairly level, the cost will not be heavy. The 
sod should first be carefully removed in squares of about eighteen 
inches, from a space at least 50 by 100 feet, cutting down to a 
depth of about six inches. The ground should then be turned 
with a spade to a depth of eighteen inches or two feet, and 
after all stones have been removed, and the earth carefully raked 
over and leveled, it should be packed and rolled with a heavy 
roller. It cannot have too much leveling and rolling, and the 
rolling should be kept up for several days with plenty of soaking 
by rain or hose-pipe. Any inequalities which the heavy pressure 
of the roller produces should be filled in or cut down before the 
sods are relaid. 

After the ground has been rolled sufficiently the sods should 
be replaced. In doing this it is important to get the edges close 
together, so that no seams or open cracks can be found. These 
sods should be relaid in the afternoon and well drenched with 
water. The next day the ground should be rolled again ; and 
this should be followed by alternate drenching and rolling for 
several days. Even when the ground finally appears firm and 
level, the court should not be played upon until new blades of 
grass appear in considerable numbers. If depressions appear, 
the sod at that spot should be lifted, fresh earth inserted to the 
proper grade and the sod replaced, watered and rolled till level 
and flat again. 

Bad spots are often found where the grass is thin or where 
malignant weeds obstruct its growth, and in this case fresh 
sods should be bought or cut elsewhere and substituted. Some- 
times large patches of ground must be renewed in this way, but 
it will be found much less expensive if all the turf is bad to 
sow the new court down with lawn seeds, and seeds will often 
help out thin spots in the grass if the court is not to be used 
too soon after the sowing. It is better to make a grass court 
in the fall whether it is to be sown with seed or sodded. The 
winter storms will then settle it thoroughly, and after a little 
releveling in the spring it will be ready for use. 



52 How to Play Lawn Tennis 

Grass seeds should be sown between the middle of March and 
the first of May, or better yet, in the autumn, between the middle 
of August and the first of October. It takes about 20 pecks of 
good lawn seed to cover a space 60 by 120 feet. The sowing 
should be gone over twice, the second time time at right angles 
to the first. Clover seeds should be avoided, as this grass does 
not wear well, and guano should not be used for fertilizing, 
for it tends to bring up coarse blades in patches. 

As soon as the young grass is high enough to be topped, a 
scythe or sycle should be used, being at first better than the 
mowing machine. After the new grass is well hardened, how- 
ever, the latter should be constantly in use, never less than once 
a week, and in moist warm weather nearly every day. With 
every precaution weeds are sure to appear, but these can gen- 
erally be held in check by constant mowing. The more formid- 
able weeds, however, must be cut with a knife one by one about 
an inch below the surface, and care being taken to remove as 
much of the root as possible. A pinch of salt dropped on the 
cut root will generally stop the growth. When the turf becomes 
worn in spots a small shift in the lines of the court will relieve 
the pressure and enable the grass to grow again ; at the end oi 
the season all of the bare patches should be resown. 

There are several other kinds of courts sometimes built when 
turf cannot be had. Instead of sand or gravel what we generally 
speak of as "dirt" courts are most often used. Cinders, clay, 
concrete, cement and asphalt are also sometimes used, while 
board courts are built under cover for winter use. 

Concrete and cement are open to many objections. They are 
very hard on the eyes and legs, and often make the player's feet 
sore ; the surface generally wears out the balls and shoes quickly, 
and it is also liable to crack with frost. Cinder courts are cheap 
and easy to construct, but the surface is so gritty that it burns 
the feet of the players and soon uses up the balls. They arc 
also very dirty. Asphalt courts are expensive and much affected 
by heat and cold, sometimes even cracking with the frost. 

In Australia court have been made of cracked blue-stone, while 
a cheaper substitute has been found in England in what is called 
a brick rubble court. 



54 tf 7i' TO P I a y L a 10 n Tennis 

Once the court is finally built and ready for use, it must be 
properly marked out. In every case, unless it be of grass, and 
the lines are to be constantly shifted to prevent bare spots, net- 
posts should be permanently sunk in the ground. They should 
be not less than two feet under the ground nor forty feet apart. 

A double court contains every line used for singles, and so 
it is customary to mark a court for doubles, except occasionally 
for imported tournament matches in singles, when the outside 
lines are left off. In order to lay out a court properly the 
middle of the space should be measured and the two posts 
set down for the net. Then cord should be stretched along 
one side just inside the post and pegs driven down into the 
ground each 39 feet from the net. In order to prove that 
the side-lines are at right angles with the line of the posts 
where the net is to cross it should be proved by measuring 
with a tape-line or cord the diagonals from the opposite net- 
post to the corner peg at each end of the side-line, which should 
agree. 

The pegs from the other two corners should be driven down 
next by measuring 36 feet at right angles from each end of 
the side-line already planned. Then you have a hollow square, 
but before marking any of the lines it should be proved again. 
The long diagonals, from corner to corner, should be carefully 
measured to, agree, in order that the court shall be exactly 
rectangular, not diamond shaped. Each side-line and each base- 
line should be gone over again to prove its length accurate, 
and then the lines of this hollow square should be marked 
out. If the position of the court is not to be shifted it is a 
good plan to sink small angle plates to mark these four corners 
so that when a hard storm washes away the lines, they will not 
have to be laid out all over again. 

The inner side-lines should be put in next, each parallel with 
the outer lines, and 43^ feet inside, measuring them at the 
base-lines and at the net to prove them parallel. On each of 
these pegs should be driven down just 18 feet from either 
end, and then they should be measured the other way to prove 
that each is 21 feet from the net and 42 feet from that at the 



How to Play La 10 n Tennis 55 

opposite end. Across from each of these to that on the opposite 
side, should be marked the service-lines, and then dividing 
these service-lines in half, the half-court line should be marked, 
its distance being I'iVi feet from each inner side-line. The court 
will then be completed and ready for use. 

A good dirt court should be swept, watered, rolled and 
freshly marked out after every eight or ten sets of play, and 
oftener in very dry weather. Instantly a depression is dis- 
covered it should be filled in -and rolled down before playing 
is continued, for it is almost as dangerous for the players as 
the court to continue with it uneven. A court should never 
be rolled in the condition the players leave it after pla}^ A 
player's heel raises a little lump ; if the roller goes over this 
before it is swept down even again, a hard ridge results and 
the ball will bound unevenly from it. It should be swept over 
first, until all the lumps are leveled down, before the roller is 
allowed on its surface. 

One of the best sweepers is made of a heavy joist of wood 
with a dozen thicknesses of old jute bagging or coarse cloth 
frayed out at the bottom edges, fastened to its bottom and 
trailing on behind it. This should be drawn over the court 
with a handle or rope several times. If it is pushed, the 
groundsman's feet will leave tracks after it ; if he goes ahead 
the sweeper will erase them. Before the lines are market out 
fresh, the old ones should always be swept off with a broom, 
but if the broom is constantly used along the lines in a parallel 
direction, it will gradually wear away little grooves in the 
court wher^ the lines are and the balls will bound improperly 
from them. The sweeping should be done lightly across the 
court, at right angles with the lines. 

A grass court cannot have too much care. It is advisable to 
wet it thoroughly several times a week and roll it as often. 
It should be watered at night, cut in the morning, and rolled 
after cutting and before watering. The best way to repair 
a bare strip of ground is to lay fresh turf, and this should be 
done in the fall or as early as possible in the spring. Good 
tough turf, laid in February or early in March, will be fit for 



56 H o 7v to Play La 



e n n I s 



use by the first of June. In the early spring grass roots both 
in new turf and old may be greatly benefited by a good dressing 
of manure well worked in, but regular manuring should also 
be done in the fall. 

Worm casts are very bad for good tennis turf. Particularly 
in fertile ground or after a storm, the little mounds will appear 
on the sod, and if the roller passes over them or they are 
trodden down little hard lumps are formed which spoil the 
surface of the court. The turf should always be swept before 
rolling, and in rich soil every morning. This scatters the 
mounds effectually. Where it is necessary to get rid of the 
worms, lime water should be sprinkled on the ground. They 
will then come to the surface and can be swept away. 

When a horse mowing machine is used it is well to have 
the horse's hoofs covered with soft pads to prevent their cutting 
into the turf and leaving prints that affect the bound of the 
ball. The groundsman at work on good lawn tennis courts, 
particularly when the turf is soft, and always on a sand cour<-, 
should be required to wear rubber-soled shoes without heels. 



58 How to Play Lawn 7' e n n.i s 



How to Select Implements for the Game. 

Unless one is going to join a club where they already have 
courts and nets and balls the question of an outfit is of much 
importance, and even if he is to play only at a club where nets 
and balls are furnished, the selection of a racket and other neces- 
saries must not be slighted. If a private court is to be built, the 
equipment varies a great deal and great care should be taken 
to get the best, if satisfaction is wanted. 

For a grass court, it is important that the lines should be 
shifted every few weeks in order to save the turf from wearing 
away and the ground becoming bare at the base lines where the 
server stands. Fixed post for the net cannot be used therefore. 
A movable post must be had, and there is much variety to choose 
from. Perhaps the best in this line, though highclass and some- 
what expensive, are the Spalding Championship Poles. These 
have adjusting windlasses for keeping the net at the proper height, 
an iron foot that extends into the court and keeps the post up- 
right, and they are fastened to the ground by a corkscrew pii\ 
of ingenious pattern that sinks deep into the turf without dam- 
aging it. These poles can be easily shifted as often as desired. 

There are also cheaper varieties that would serve the purpose, 
however, some with guy-ropes to keep them upright, and others 
that will stand upright without the troublesome guys. In every 
case, however, the windlass feature will be found an important 
one, for as the net sags, the slack can be quickly taken up with 
one of these by a simple turn of the winch. 

As to the net itself, it should be of the best quality if it is 
expected to last, for nets have much hard usage. For a single 
court, the best size is 36 feet in width, and for a double 
court the net should be 42 feet wide, for a net should extend 
beyond the side-lines invariably. It is also important that the 
net should have a band at its upper edge so as to make it easier 
for the players to see the top at a glance. If the net is to be 



How to Play Lawn Tennis 59 

used for fast play b}' men who hit the ball hard, double stringing 
in the center is also important, and if it is to be exposed much 
to the dampness and dew, it is well to get the style made of 
tarred twine. The "Intercollegiate" net is one of the best and 
most satisfactory on the market. 

It is advisable to have a center strap to hold the net at the 
right height, and the canvas straps are generally found to be 
more satisfactory than the iron center-forks, from which the 
ball sometimes bounds off at an angle. 

If a dirt court is to be used, there is no necessity for shifting 
the net to save the ground, and it is well to sink permanent net 
posts in the ground. With these there never need be any trouble 
about keeping the net at the proper height. Such posts can be 
home-made, if desired, but a new style has just been put on the 
market this year by Spalding, that costs very little, and are 
well calculated to fill the bill. They are fitted with small rollers 
at the top over which to pass the rope holding the net, and cleats 
on which to make the ropes fast. Each has also an iron foot ex- 
tending into the court at the level of the ground to help main- 
tain its upright position. These posts, when sunk i8 inches 
into the ground, can be relied upon to hold the net permanently 
at the desired height, and it is only necessary to take up the 
slack with the cleat whenever the net sags below the proper 
height as shown by the band or fork in the center. Fixed posts 
like this should never be nearer than three feet beyond the out- 
side court7lines. as a player might run into them if nearer and 
hurt himself. The same nets and center bands are used for dirt 
courts as grass. 

As to marking out a court, there are many ways that have 
given satisfaction. For grass, a solution of whitewash, with a 
little paint, gives the best satisfaction, and the same is sometimes 
used on dirt courts, although more paint will have to be used if 
the court is sandy to prevent the hardened lines from crumbling 
and being rubbed off the ground. Under any conditions, how- 
ever, the lines on dirt wear away quickly in dry weather, and 
wash away in a hard rain on either dirt or grass. It is well to 
put down corner plates to mark the points at which the principal 



6o H %v to Play Lawn Tennis 

lines come together, so that the court will not have to be meas- 
ured all over again after a storm has washed away the lines. 
If these "marking plates" are used, they will save a great deal of 
unnecessary trouble, but they should be sunk down level with the 
ground, and never be allowed to protrude above the surface un- 
der any conditions, for then they may not only trip a player, but 
the balls often strike them and bound crooked in consequence. 

Marking tapes are also sold for marking out the court lines. 
If one cannot keep an attendant to constantly mark out the lines 
afresh, these tapes sometimes save a world of trouble. They 
are always there, and can be pinned down very close to the 
ground by using many of the wire staples at close intervals. 
For dirt courts, there is also a way to mark a court out, with 
a dry marker using marble dust, sprinkled through a circular tin 
sifter that rolls along the ground. This dust blows and rubs 
away quickly, however, and its chief merit is that it gives a clear 
white line, and require very little trouble to put it down. 

There is also a "Columbia" marker that has a band running 
through a tank of marking solution and down over a wheel to 
the ground, and this gives an even line and is quickly handled, 
being specially useful for grass courts. The least expensive 
method, however, is to nail two long strips of wood together 
parallel and two and one-half inches apart. Then lay this 
"marker" down on the ground along the line laid out with a 
taughtened string, and paint the line with a big brush between 
the boards. This gives an even line and a straight one. 

Back-stop nets are important, and many varieties are to be 
had. One can make a home-made back-stop, and for a private 
grass court at a country-place this is first-class if the ground is 
not to be shifted many feet. High uprights, not less than lo feet, 
should then be sunk into the ground at least 20 feet back of 
the base-lines, and wire netting with a mesh smaller than 2^ 
inches, stretched across these uprights. It makes a splendid 
background for the players, if vines — green vines that is, like ivy, 
but not any vine with white blossoms, that could give a mottled 
background — are grown over the wire, but it is better to grow 
these on the reverse or outside. 



nTfi 



Marking Plates. 





Columbia Tennis Marker. Dry TenniT Marker. 





Clutch for Soft Ground. Corkscrew and Wedge. 

SPALDING'S CHAMPIONSHIP TENNIS POLES. 




fiffUff ffffr ' ! t} m pi;:^i;gitiii4mi^«f5tg^ 



THE SPALDING BACK-STOP NET. 



62 H o %v to Play L a zu ii Tennis 

For those who want portable backstops, however, a splendid 
combination has been offered by Spalding & Bros., with gal- 
vanized iron wire sections, hung on tubular iron uprights and 
top rods. These are put up in sections 9 feet by 7, and each sec- 
tion is hung separately, and swings freely on its top rod, so that 
a player can push it aside and pass through the barrier without 
difficulty. There are also portable backstops made of twine, and 
poles to support them, made in sections of 50 feet, to cover the 
end of a court, and these can be taken down and put up with 
little difficulty in shifting a court or to bring in at night. If they 
are to be left out, the tarred twine variety is preferable to save 
them from rotting in the dampness. 

Rackets and balls, at least the former, are the most important 
of all preliminary preparations. Only the best felt-covered balls 
should be used by any player who values his skill at much, or 
who wants to learn to play well. They do not last very long, to 
be sure, but if they become discolored, they can be cleaned by 
warming or drying them out thoroughly, and then taking a stiff 
bristle dry brush and scraping off all of the stains. Sometimes they 
can be washed with soap and water on a brush, but must be dried 
quickly afterward. In damp weather, uncovered rubber balls 
can sometimes be used for practice, but their bound is very dif- 
ferent, and it will be more difficult to play with the regular 
ones when one goes back to them later, if the vmcovered ones 
are used occasionally. 

In the selection of a good racket, there is the widest range. 
One thing can be said with safety, however, and that is that the 
expensive ones are generally the cheapest in' the long run. If 
good care is taken of a good racket it ought to last for several 
seasons, and it will certainly last much longer than a cheap one. 
A racket costing six dollars, for instance, ought to last more 
than twice as long as one that costs three dollars, and give much 
better satisfaction. It will improve a player's game materially, 
too, to use a really good racket, and no good player ever thinks 
of using any but the best. The weight should be from 13^ to 
14^ ounces for the average man, and personally I prefer one of 
the heavier of these weights. If a man's wrist be fairly strong, 



If w to r I a y L a w n 7 e n n i s 63 

he will not find 14 ounces too heavy for him, and 14^2 will help 
him hit the ball faster if he can swing it easily in the hand 
without too much effort in the wrist. It is here in the wrist that 
a too heavy racket will first make itself felt. 

There are many varieties of handles with fancy and plaa 
coverings, but personally I have always found a plain cedar 
handle, roughened somewhat for the grip, to be the most satis- 
factory, and rubber or cork to be quite unnecessary. As to the 
balance, each player should test his own racket personally, if 
possible, to tell if it just suits him before he buys it. In a gen- 
eral way, the racket shcnild balance at about the lower screw- 
head in the frame, but if a heavier weight is being bought, it is 
well to have it balance a little light in the head, or vice versa, 
for the proportion of weight in the head makes even more dif- 
ference in the freedom of the wrist than the actual weight of 
the racket. 

It is important to take good care of a racket if one expects 
it to last for any length of time, and if a really good one is 
possessed, it is impossible to take too good care of it. It should 
be kept in a case always when not in use, and not be allowed to 
get cither damp or too dry. The dry heat of a house often 
warps the frame, and it should be kept as far as possible from any 
heated walls or flues. It is a good plan also to have a racket 
press and keep it well screwed up tight when not in use, for this 
insures the frame's keeping straight and prevents it from warp- 
ing from the dry heat of the house. If a racket is left out over 
night, or gets very damp in the rain or otherwise, the gut string- 
ing will shrink up very tight at first and then stretch a little. 
Then the first time it dries out again, the strings will sag and be- 
come very loose, and have so little life in it that it will soon 
be found useless for play. 



64 



Ho 



to Play Lawn Tennis 



TENlNIS APPAREL 




Quarter-Sleeve 
Jersey. 



It is a very difficult task to say that there is an 
identified tennis costume worn 1)V the tennis player. 
Most every one has his own ideas about this ; some 
players fancy a sleeveless or quarter-sleeve worsted 
or cotton shirt with duck trousers, while . others 
prefer a long sleeve jersey, as it absorbs the per- 
spiration, and believe they are less liable to colds 
than with a loose shirt. The most popular tennis 
costume worn by tennis players of to-day is a medium 
or light weight flannel shirt with sleeves cut off at 
the elbow, which allows the player free use of his arms and is very 
much cooler. 

White duck trousers and white flannel trousers are both worn to a 
great extent, but the majority of players believe that the duck ones 
are cooler. 

The shoes which are mostly worn are 
leather, No. A and No. A-H, which sell 
respectively for 
I5.00 and I5.50 
per pair. They 
are made either 
high or low with 
a heavy red rub- 
ber sole and 
make a very dur- 
able shoe for 
dirt courts. 

Spike shoes are worn only on grass courts. They are made of white 
canvas and white calf leather. The white rubber-soled canvas shoe 
called the "sneaker" is very much worn, but wears through quickly. 





No. A-H Shoe. 



H o TV to Play Lawn Tennis 



65 





Some players 

wear white outing 

hats while others 

wear a white flannel 
Outing Hat. 

'^^P- Flannel Cap. 

Most tennis players wear a light coat, but in nearly all cases have 
a wool sweater handy to slip on after the game to prevent catching 
cold. There are three grades of sweaters used by tennis players : 
The No. A, Intercollegiate sweater, made of the very finest Australian 
lamb's wool, which retails for $6.00; the No. B, heavy weight sweater, 
which retails for $5.00, and the No. C, standard weight sweater, re- 
tailing for I4.00. 

The "Championship" lawn tennis ball, No. 00, is very essential to 
all players and should be used in practice, as oftentimes a player loses 
a game on account of having used other balls in practising. They 
cost $4.00 per dozen. 

The Spalding Cane Racket is very popular this season. The new 
Spalding Twentieth Century is also much in evidence. The former 
retails for $7.00 and the Twentieth Century for |6.oo. 




The 
Spalding Cane 

Our idea of a perfect racket. 
Newmodel Frameofwhite 
ash specially selected ; 
handsomely .polished wal- 
nut throat-piece ; spliced 
cane handle extending 
through throat-piece giv- 
ing additional strength and 
driving power. Strung with 
finest quality gut. Hand- 
made throughout, and per- 
fect balance assured. 

No. 13 

The Spalding Cane 

Each, . . $7.00 



The objects of the Spalding 
Policy, in brief, may be sum- 
marized as follows : First, to 
satisfy the customer, who will be 
able to get standard goods at 
fixed prices ; second, to insure a 
fair profit to the legitimate retail 
dealer; third, to maintain the 
quality of Spalding's trade- 
marked goods. 
Send for catalogue of everything 
athletic. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



The 
Spalding A- 1 

Hand-made throughout; all 
work, material and finish 
of highest quality. Frame 
finest white ash, beveled in- 
side edge; polished mahog- 
any throat-piece. Stringing 
finest gut obtainable. 
Combed mahogany handle, 
leather capped. 

No. 14 
The Spalding A-i 
Each, .... $6.00 



No business can be conducted 
successfully unless there is estab- 
lished between buyer and seller 
a feeling of perfect confidence. 
Spalding's Athletic Goods have 
been the standard for a quarter 
of a century, and this record is 
proof in itself of the confidence 
the public has in any article bear- 
ing the Spalding trade-mark. 
Send for our complete catalogue 
of all athletic sports. 




A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 




The 

Twentieth 

Century 

Up-to-date in every re- 
spect. Modeled after racket 
used by one of the most suc- 
cessful of last season's play- 
ers. Frame of white ash 
specially selected and pol- 
ished, with beveled and 
rounded inside edge ; ma- 
hogany throat-piece. String- 
ing of superior quality white 
gut. Combed mahogany 
handle, leather capped. 

No. 15 

The Twentieth 

Century 

Each, .... $6.00 



The Spalding trade-mark on an 
athletic Lmpleinent stamps the 
possessor as a discriminating 
player, who recognizes and uses 
the best made. Catalogue free. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



The Ocomo 

Frame of finest white 
ash with rounded edges 
and mahogany throat- 
piece. Stringing of very 
best white gut. Combed 
mahogany handle, made 
small for ladies' use, 
leather capped. 

No. 12 

The Ocomo 
Each, . . . $5.00 



It is our aim to furnish the 
public at regular established 
prices, with standard goods of 
a grade or quality commensu- 
rate with the price. Our 
factory facilities are i m - 
measurbly greater than those 
of any other house in our line 
in the world. We manufac- 
ture in our own factories, op- 
erated by ourselves, nearly 
everything bearing our name, 
which enables us to maintain 
the highest quality and at the 
same time furnish the goods 
at the lowest possible rates. 
Send for complete catalogue. 




A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 




The Tournament 

Modeled after design of pro- 
minent player. Finest white 
ash frame with mahogany 
throat-piece. Best white gut 
stringing and combed mahog- 
any handle, leather capped. 

No. II 

The Tournament 

Each, $5.00 



Direct from factory to consumer 
through the medium of the retail 
dealer, honesty of purpose, knowl- 
edge of requirements, maintenance 
of the highest standard of quality, 
liberal guarantees, maintenance of 
absolutely fixed selling prices to all 
alike regardless of quantity, is the 
Spalding Policy that has placed 
Spalding's Athletic Goods at the 
head of the procession, where they 
miist ever remain. 

Send for complete catalogue. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



The 'VARSITY 

New Model 

Selected white ash frame, 
mahogany throat-piece; fine 
quality gut; stained mahogany 
handle, finely checkered, 
leather capped. 

No. lO 
The 'Varsity 

(New Model) 

Each, $4.00 

No. 10c. 
^ame as No. 10, only 

Cork Handle 
Each, $4.50 



A lifelong devotion to sport, a know- 
ledge of its requirements, an honest 
effort to produce the best, a strict 
maintenance of quality and net sell- 
ing prices, with ample capital and 
able co-workers, have in twenty-five 
years placed Spalding's Trade- 
marked Athletic Goods at the head 
of their class, and made A. G. Spal- 
ding & Bros, one of the most widely 
known commercial houses in the 

world. 

Complete catalogue of all athletic 

sports free to any address. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEV YORK CHICAGO DENVER 





The Slocum 

Same model as last year. 
Frame of selected white ash; 
fine quality white main strings 
and red cross strings ; oak 
throat - piece, antique finish; 
stained and polished mahogany 
handle, finely checkered, 
leather capped. 

No. 9 

The Slocum 

Each, 14.00 



Our entire line of rackets for 1002, 
with the exception of Nos. 8 and 9, 
are modeled on the Expert Spalding 
Shape. In Nos. 8 and 9 we have re- 
tained the old Slocum shape for play- 
ers who prefer to stick to the style to 
which they have been so long 

accustomed. 
Send for handsomely illustrated cat- 
alogue. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



The Slocum 
Junior 

Same model as last year. 
Frame of white ash, with pol- 
ished walnut throat-piece and 
checkered cedar handle. 
Strung with all white fine 
quality gut. 

No. 8 

The Slocum 

Junior 

Each, $3.00 



Our entire line of rackets for 1902, 
with the exception of Nos. 8 and 9. 
are modeled on the Expert Spalding 
Shape. In Nos. 8 and 9 we have re- 
tained the old Slocum shape for play- 
ers who prefer to stick to the style to 
which they have been so long 
accustomed. 

Handsomely illustrated catalogue 
mailed free to any address. 




A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 




The Vantage 

Improved model. Frame of 
white ash, mahogany throat- 
piece; fine quality white gut; 
checkered mahogany handle, 
leather capped. 

No. 6 

The Vantage 

Each, 13.00 



The wonderful and uninterrupted suc- 
cess of A. G. Spalding & Bros, can be 
ascribed to the unvarying policy of 
honesty in the manufacture of their 
goods. No article is sold under a 
false claim, and every article sold is 
backed by the guarantee of the 
Spalding trade-mark. 



Send for handsomely illustrated 
catalogue of all athletic sports. 



A, G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



The 
Lakeside 

Designed for effective work. 
Frame of white ash, polished ma- 
hogany throat-piece; stringing of 
good quality white gut, checkered 
mahogany handle, leather capped. 

No. 5 

The Lakeside 

Each, $2.50 



The Spalding trade-mark is the mark 
of superiority. It certifies to the 
character of the article on which it is 
stamped, and is the guarantee of a 
firm of twenty-five years' experience. 



Handsomely illustrated catalogue o£ 
all athletic sports free. - 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 





The 
Greenwood 

Improved shape, Frame of good 
white ash, polished mahogany 
throat-piece ; stringing of good 
quality gut ; checkered mahog- 
any handle, leather capped. 

No. 4 

The Greenwood 

Each, $2.00 



The reputation of Spalding's Athletic 
Goods for quality, which has been made 
jn a quarter of a century of successful 
business, has not been a thing of chance, 
but has been acquired only by manufac- 
turing with the utmost care and giving to 
the public athletic goods of the very best 
grade that could be" manufactured. Com- 
plete catalogue free. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



The Geneva 

Popular new shape. Frame of 
white ash, polished walnut throat- 
piece; good quality gut, checkered 
cedar handle, leather capped. 

No. 3 

The Geneva 

Each, $1.50 



Best material, best workmanship, and 
best prices are the secrets of Spalding 
success. Careful attention to the needs 
of the users is what makes Spalding 
athletic goods the standard in every 
branch of sport. 

Spalding's new catalogue of tennis and 

athletic goods is the handsomest sporting 

goods catalogue ever issued. Free to any 

address. 




A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 




The Favorite 

Approved model. Frame of white 
ash, polished walnut throat-piece; 
stringing of good quality gut; 
checkered cedar handle, leather 
capped. 

No. 2 

The Favorite 

Each, $i.oo 



Spalding quality satisfies. Other goods may 
be offered at a less price than those quoted in 
our catalogue, but only by degrading quality. 
No one can furnish athletic goods of equal 
quality at a less price. Don't forget that the 
quality of Spalding Trade Marked Goods is 
pleasantly remembered long after the price is 
forgotten. 

Catalogue free. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



The Practice 

None better for children. White 
ash frame, walnut throat-piece, 
checkered cedar handle leather 
capped ; stringed good quality gut. 

No. I 

The Practice 

Each, 75c. 



Twenty-five years of Quality-Making, 
with one object in view, viz., to produce 
the correct article for the athletic pur- 
pose intended, using best material and 
employing experienced skilled work- 
men, has been and will continue to be 
the purpose of A. G. Spalding & Bros, 
in conducting their manufacturing 
departments. 

Complete catalogue of all sports free. 




A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



SPALDING'S TENNIS GOODS 



Spalding's 
Patent Double Centre Nets 




^ %^pf'> ^"^^ ^"- '''' "" "^ 

Spalding's Patent Double Centre Nets are hand knitted, and in the centre, 

where most of the wear comes, have double twine knitted together for 11 to 13 

feet, according to size of net. Will outlast two or more ordinary nets. 

White, 15 Thread, Double Court. 

Length, 36 feet; double centre, 11 feet. 

No. 2C Price, $4.50 

Length, 42 feet ; double centre, 13 feet. 

No. 3C Price, $5.00 

White, 21 Thread, Double Court. 
Length, 36 feet ; double centre, 11 feet. 

No. 2D Price, $5.00 

Length, 42 feet ; double centre, 13 feet. 
No. 3D Price, $5.50 

Spalding's complete catalogue of Tennis and all other Athletic Goods 
mailed free. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 





SPALDING'S TENNIS GOODS 




S] 


3alding's Intercollegiate Nets 






rp n '111 i 


jiip'i;:! : 




i 


Ifiiit-tt 


fi i' i III 


hi '■ 






^tt-TF: 


M---f' j\ I'll 


J Hi itlUf' 
{ 1 ' 1 1 1 1 1 1 " f ( 


' " 


If |i||: 




lii-. ' ' ' 




IphIS^ 


[fjilJnl' •' 




M^^ 



Hand knit of best quality twine. Extra wide canvas strip at top. Same style 

and quality as used at Newport and all championship events. 

Tanned nets if desired. 



No. 3E 



No. 2E 



Double Court, 42 feet, 21 thread, hand made. 



Double Court, 36 feet, 21 thread, hand made. 



Each, $4.25 



Each, $3.75 



Send your name for a copy of our 88-page Spring and Summer Catalogue. 
The largest and finest Sporting Goods catalogue ever printed. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



SPALDING'S TENNIS GCX)DS 



Spalding's Canvas Bound Nets 




Duuble Court, hand made, 36 feet, 21 thread ; white. 

No. 2B Each, $3.00 

Double Court, hand made, 42 feet, 21 thread ; white. 

No. 3B Price, $3.50 

Double Court, machine made, 30 feet, 15 thread ; white. 

No. 2A Price, $ | .75 

Double Court, machine made, 42 feet, 15 thread ; white. 
No. 3A Price, $2.00 

TARRED NETS. 
No. 3X. Canvas bound, double court, 42 feet, 21 thread. Price, $4. 00 

Every tennis player should have a copy of Spalding's Spring and Summer 

Catalogue. It shows the most complete line of tennis goods 

that has ever been offered for sale. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



SPALDING^S TENNIS GOODS 



Spalding's 
Regulation Tennis Nets 




Double Court, machine made, 43 feet, 15 thread ; white. 
No. 3 . Price, $1.50 

Double Court, machine made, 36 feet, 15 thread ; white. 
No. 2 P"ce, $ I .OO 

Single Court, machine made, 27 feet, 12 thread ; white. 
No. 1 . . ; Price, 75C. 

Spalding's Complete Catalogue of Spring and Summer Sports 
should be in the hands of everyone interested in athletic 
sports. Contains 88 pages, profusely illustrated, of descrip- 
tions and prices of the best implements made. 

A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 




Spalding's Backstop Nets 



Cut illustrates six sections, measuring 54 feet long by 7 feet high, set up. 
Uprights and top rods are tubular iron, heavily japanned. Netting is of galvan- 
ized iron wire, which is unaffected by the weather and will not rust, and each 

section is hung separately to permit players to pass back and forth. 

Spalding's Backstop Nets, as illustrated above. . . . Complete, $25.00 

Additional sections at proportionate price. 

Twine Nets for Backstops— Without Poles 

No. 4. White, 50 ft. long, 7 ft. high, 9 thread. Each, $2.50 
No. 5. White, .50 ft. long, 8 ft. high, 12 thread. " 3.00 

No. 5X. Tarred, .50 ft. long, 8 ft. high, 12 thread. " 3.50 

No . BS. Backstop Net Poles only. ..." 1.00 

Canvas Centre Strap 

This is a new device for holdirg centre of net 
at regulation height, three feet, and is vastly 
superior to the ordinary centre iron. It serves 
the purpose intended perfectly, does not chafe 
the net, and cannot possibly cause the ball to 
glance off and strike out of court, as is occasion- 
ally the case with an iron centre fork. 

No. 2-0. Canvas Centre Strap. Each, $1.00 
Tournament Pattern 
Same a.s above, only fitted with a turn-buckle, with which height of net 
can be adjusted to a hair. Very desirable for tournament or match games. 
No. 3-0. Tournament Pattern. Each,$1.50 

Iron Centre Forks 

No. 1. Regulation, patent stirrups, $1.00 | No. 2. Cheap Iron Fork, 60c. 
Send your name for a copy of Spalding's handsomely illustrated catalogue of 
tennis and all athletic goods. 




A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 



NEW YORK 



CHICAGO 



DENVER 



SPALDING'S TENNIS GOODS 



Spalding's Championship Tennis Poles 




Without doubt the finest thing in the way of a Tennis Pole that has ever been 
placed on the market. Sciuare, 3^-inch ash poles, finely finished, with heavy 
japanned iron bases, and ratchet crank of special design. We also supply with 
these poles iron clutches to steady the poles when used on soft ground, and 
our special iron corkscrews, which are fixed permanently in the ground, mark- 
ing the place where poles should be set. Handle and wedge spike used to 
insert corkscrew packed with poles. 

No. A. Championship Tennis Poles * . . . Pair, $20.00 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 




SPALDING'S TENNIS GOODS 

Spalding's 

Tournament 

Tennis 

Poles 



No. B 
Per pair, 

I o.oo 




For those who desire an absolutely first-class pole, handsome in 
appearance and extremely durable, we recommend our No. B 
Tournament Tennis Poles. The poles are made of finely pol- 
ished ash, 2K inches square, with heavy japanned iron base and 
ratchet crank for tightening net. Pins for fastening iron bases 
firmly to ground packed with poles. 

Complete Catalogue of Athletic Sports Mailed Free 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



SPALDING'S TENNIS GOODS 




Spalding's 

Casino 

Tennis 

Poles 




Round poles of ash, finely polished; japanned iron bases and 
pins for fastening firmly to ground. No guy ropes required 
with these poles. Net is adjusted by ratchet crank. 

No. C. Casino Poles. Per pair, $6.00 

Spalding's Tennis Poles 

Finely polished, solid, spiked tennis poles. Packed complete 

with guy ropes and pegs. 

No. E. Per pair, $2.00 

Good quality solid tennis poles. Packed complete with guy ropes 
and pegs. 



1 

No. E Complete 


No. F. Per pair, $ j .QO 
Catalogue of Athletic Sports Mailed Free. 


y 

No. F 


A. 

NEW YORK 


G. 


SPALDING & BROS. 

CHICAGO DENVER 



SPALDING^S TENNIS GOODS 



Spalding's Tennis 
Poles 

Square poles, 2% inch wood, handsomely 
painted in red with black striping ; japanned 
iron bracket bases to steady poles, which are 
inserted 18 inches into the ground. No guy 
ropes necessary with these poles. 

No. D • Per pair, $3.00 

Quy Ropes and Pegs 
for Tennis Nets 




fete' 




No. I . Hemp ropes, plain pegs 

No. 2. Cotton ropes, plain pegs 

No. 3. Cotton ropes, fancy pegs ..... 
No. 3 will answer for backstop nets. 



Per set, 25C. 

" 50c. 
" 85c. 



Complete Catalogue of Athletic Sports Mailed Free. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



SPALDING'S TENNIS GOODS 



SPALDING'S CHAMPIONSHIP 
TENNIS BALL 



/^ 









Absolutely perfection. Regulation size and weight, 
finest quality felt cover. 

No. oo. Per dozen, $4.00 

Spalding's athletic goods are made for abuse 
as well as use. The Spalding trade-mark 
guarantees the quality. Catalogue free. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



SPALDING'S TENNIS GOODS 



SPALDING'S TOURNAMENT 
TENNIS BALL 



MARK 




Uniform in quality and carefully constructed 

throughout. Regulation size and 

weight. Fine felt cover. 

No. o. Per dozen, ^3.50 

We try to make our catalogue impart intelligent, 
reliable, definite and accurate information about 
every article we sell, and we think we have suc- 
ceeded in our 88-page Spring and Summer Sports 
number. Copy for the asking. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



SPALDIG'S TENNIS GOODS 



SPALDING'S 
VANTAGE TENNIS BALL 



No 




A good felt covered ball. 

Per dozen, ^3.00 



No matter where you live, in Maine or Manila, you can 
feel perfect confidence in ordering anything you want 
from our catalogue. Every article is illustrated and 
truthfully described. A postal will bring one to you. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



SPALDING'S TENNIS GOODS 



SPALDING'S 
PRACTICE TENNIS BALL 




Good quality ball, plain rubber, for use in wet 
weather. 

No. 3. Per dozen, ^2.50 

If you have not already done so, send us your name, 
and receive a copy of our illustrated catalogue of all 
athletic sports. Eighty-eight pages of pictures and 
descriptions of everything needed for athletic 
recreation. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



SPALDING'S TENNIS GOODS 



Rackets Restrung 





We make a specialty of this branch of our business, and are 
constancy in receipt of rackets to be restrung, of every known 
make, from all parts of the United States and Canada. This 
work is done by our most scientific stringers, and none but first 
quality gut is used. 

No. CA. Good American Gut, White only. 

No. BA. Best American Gut, White, Red, 
or Red and White 

No. BE. Best English Gut, White, Red, or 
Red and White 

The Spalding trade mark is the seal of 
reliability. When stamped on anything 
athletic you may feel sure that it is the best 
that can be obtained anywhere for the 
price. Complete catalogue mailed free. 



Each, $1.25 



1.75 



2.75 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



SPALDING^S TENNIS GOODS 



PORTABLE MARKING TAPES 




For Single Court, complete with 100 staples and pins. 
No. 3. Per set, $3.50 

For Double Court, complete with 200 staples and 14 pins. 
No. 4. Per set, $4.00 

For Double Court, extra quality canvas, complete with 200 staples and 14 pins. 

No. 6. Per set, $6.00 

Waterproof Tape, for Double Court, complete with 200 staples and 14 pins 

No. 7. Per set, $8.00 

No. S. Extra Staples. Per 100, 50C. 

MARKING PLATES 

\. ''Wo] id"""iiiiii„:»iiinii • 




Z III 

I I 



For permanently marking the angles of court. Made of malleable iron and 

painted white. A set consists of eight corner and two T pieces. 

No. 1 . Marking Plates. Per set, $ | .00 

When buying anything for athletic u . , look for the Spalding trade-mark, and 
refuse to accept what is offered as " just as good." Catalogue free by mail. 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NE\? YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



SPALDING'S TENNIS GOODS 




(.. 



-% 



Columbia 

Tennis 

Marker 

Makes a clean, even 
ribbon line, with 
contact in full view. 

No. I. 
Each, $5.00 



Dry 

Tennis 

Marker 

No mixing of ma- ^^ 

terial. Uses marble ^^^^^K0'i'''i\ 
dust and slacked i0^^mm^m;; 
lime, etc. ^,Af^)tMWm/J mm^''' 

No. 2. Each, $2.00 

If you have not already received our catalogue, a postal will bring it. The 
handsomest sporting goods catalogue ever issued. 




A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 



1902 JUL. 21 1902 



26 t902 



SPALDING'S TENNIS GOODS 



Racket Presses 




The new shape in which we are making our presses we believe 
will be found very satisfactory and thoroughly effective. Rackets 
should be kept in one of them when not in use to prevent warping, 
especially when they have been exposed to moisture or used at 
the seashore. 

No. I R. For one tacket. . . Each, $ I .OO 

No. 2R. For two rackets. . " 2.00 

Rubber Handle Covers 

For covering racket handles to secure better grip. Made of 
pure gum rubber. 




No. 1. 

No. I . Circular corrugations. . Each, 25c. 
No. 2. Pin head corrugations. , " 35c. 

Complete Catalogue of Athletic Sports Mailed Free 



A. G. SPALDING & BROS. 

NEW YORK CHICAGO DENVER 






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